A Snowstorm in Summer
by Darkbring3r
Summary: Ruby has been on a mission with Qrow for a year, but she has finally arrived at her home away from home: Beacon Academy. However, she soon realizes that while she thought she had finished her mission, the mission wasn't quite done with her. A dangerous threat is building in Remnant, and it's up to Team RWBY to stop it. - Currently on Hiatus.
1. Home

Weiss Schnee studied her reflection intensely for the tenth time in the past hour. No matter how much she scrutinized her appearance, something always seemed... off to her. It was driving her mad. She tried changing outfits, different makeup, looking at herself from different angles, different lighting, but nothing was working. Eventually she gave into the overwhelming stress and collapsed onto the floor, letting out a sigh of defeat. She lay there, staring at the ceiling and trying to calm her nerves. The only company she had was the silence in the room, which was somehow deafening.

Her mind began to wander, which she had no interest in stopping. As long as she wasn't thinking about what was stressing her out, she was happy. She wanted to stay there, just laying on the floor. She wanted to will time to stop flowing, but she knew that wasn't possible. She slowly stopped thinking about everything and her eyelids started to become heavy. Sleep had it's hold on her and she was perfectly content with letting it take her. Right before she drifted out of consciousness, a soft, yet commanding voice shook her away from the dreamland she had almost created for herself.

"Weiss, are you okay?"

The heiress reluctantly sat up to make eye contact with whoever had the nerve to bring her back to reality. "Oh... Hey, Blake."

"Are you ready for tonight?"

Weiss let out a sigh. "Yes, I'm as ready as I'll ever be..."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing. Don't worry about it." At this point Weiss had gotten up and made her way to her bed in team RWBY's room. "I'm just nervous I guess."

"You're nervous? Why? It's just Ruby."

"I know, but she's been gone for a year. What if..." The white-haired girl stared at her feet, debating whether or not she wanted to continue this conversation. "... What if she has changed? What if she doesn't want to be friends with us anymore?"

"Do you hear yourself? Don't forget who you're talking about. Even if she has changed, and that's a big if, she wouldn't have changed enough that she forgot who her friends are. If that's why you have been so nervous, you've been worrying for nothing. Yang said Ruby is just as excited to see us as we are to see her."

Blake and Yang have talked about Weiss' recent behavior over the past few months. Ruby had been on a covert mission with her uncle, Qrow, and was only allowed to keep in contact with one person, and she chose Yang. Every time someone wanted to talk to Ruby, or Ruby wanted to talk to someone else, the messages had to go through the blonde. No one had really said much to Ruby except Yang, because transferring messages was a big hassle.

The longer Ruby was gone, the more distant Weiss became. Her friends began to notice, but they couldn't figure out why. A few days ago, Ruby contacted Yang and said she was finally coming back to Beacon. Yang informed everyone, and upon hearing the news, Weiss perked up immediately and started to become her old self. However, this was short-lived.

Yesterday, Weiss changed again, but instead of being distant and slightly dreary, she became nervous and stressed. Everyone brushed it off for the time being, instead focusing on Ruby's welcome home party, which was scheduled for that night.

"Weiss, don't stress yourself out about Ruby changing. The only thing that would change Ruby is if her friends aren't here to see her come home. and I mean ALL of her friends, so you better be there, Ice Queen."

This earned Blake a cold glare from Weiss. She simply brushed it off with a smile, amused that the nickname could still get under the heiress' skin.

"Well, I'm heading out to help put the finishing touches on the party. I expect to see you there, Weiss." Blake said the last sentence as she walked out of the room, shutting the door behind her, leaving Weiss to her own thoughts.

 _"I have no clue why I am so nervous. Blake is right. It's only Ruby. She probably hasn't changed a bit. I know that. I just want to know why I am stressing out about this. There is no reason I should be feeling this way. I'm happy she's coming home. I want to see her. I missed her... So why do I feel like I want to avoid her? I feel so apprehensive about seeing her after all this time. You know what? I'm not going to let my stupid thought process keep me from seeing my best friend. I'm going to go to that party, see Ruby, and have a good time. Okay... I guess I should head that way."_

Finally mustering up the will to move, Weiss got off of her bed, glanced over herself one last time in the mirror, and headed out of the dorm. Looking one last time back into the room, as if it was a safe haven that she was forsaking, she shut the door and left to go meet up with everyone else at the party to wait for Ruby's arrival.

* * *

In another part of Remnant, Ruby Rose sat on an airship which was en route to Beacon Academy. She had herself positioned so that her head was resting on the side of her seat, right below the headrest, and had one of her legs hanging over the arm of her seat and her other leg dangling off of the front, just barely scraping the floor. She had been on this ship for 6 hours and was exhausted, but somehow unable to go to sleep. She looked to the isle across from her and saw her uncle. Qrow was passed out in his chair and it looked as though he was ready to slide onto the floor of the ship. One arm was resting to the side of his chair and his other hand was on the armrest, steadfastly holding on to a drink. In the seat next to him, Zwei was curled up into a ball, sleeping so soundly it seemed as though he didn't have a care in the world. It brought a slight smile to Ruby's face.

Ruby turned her head and looked out of the window next to her. Her gaze was met with nothing but empty fields and trees. As she looked out the window, she started thinking about what would happen when she came home.

 _"I wonder how everyone has been. I've been gone for so long... I hope nobody is mad at me. I missed all of them. I hope they missed me too. I know Yang did. When I told her I was coming back I thought I was going to lose my hearing with how loud she screamed. From what she told me, everyone seems happy that I'm coming back. Knowing Yang, I wouldn't be surprised if she has an elaborate party planned for me, whether I want one or not. I guess I'll find out whenever I actually get there. I can't wait to see everyone. I guess I should try to get some sleep until then."_

Finally, after becoming too tired to remain conscious, Ruby fell into a well needed slumber. Minutes became hours, feet became miles, and eventually the ship reached its destination. Ruby was suddenly woken up by the ship's announcement that it had landed.

"Passengers, we have reached our destination, Beacon Academy. Please make sure you gather all of your personal belongings before exiting the ship."

Ruby slowly opened her groggy eyes and gazed to where her uncle was, but she noticed his seat was empty.

 _"Uncle Qrow? Where did you get off to?"_

As Ruby got out of her seat, she glanced through the window of the ship, to see her uncle lugging his suitcase towards the school, Zwei in tow behind him.

 _"Well, he certainly wanted to get off of the ship fast. I guess I should get off too, before I get stuck on here for another trip."_

With that thought, Ruby collected her luggage and stepped off of the ship and onto the walkway that led to Beacon. She walked down the path until it met two huge marble arches which served as an entrance to Beacon Academy's courtyard. Walking through the arches granted Ruby with a view of the whole school. Upon seeing it, she just stood still and stared at it. Her mind began to fill with memories of all the time she had spent there and all of the things that had happened. She missed it more than she realized and she was more than happy that she was back.

Thinking about how badly she wanted to see her friends, she decided that it was time to actually walk into the school, just having one last thought. _"Guys... I'm home."_

* * *

 **Okay, so this is pretty much the first story I've ever written. If anyone out there actually takes the time to read this, thank you! Sorry if there is any grammatical mistakes. I read it over and over again to try to find any and I think I snuffed 'em all out. Leave a review if you feel so inclined (be gentle with me) and... Uh... I guess that's it! Thanks for reading!**

 **P.S. Just so people know, I do plan to make chapters longer in the future, since this one is waaaay too short. Just think of this as a teaser.**

 **:D**


	2. Unlucky

"Hey, Yang, can we get some help over here?"

The blonde spun around to see who was calling her name. "Oh, ya, sure thing. Just give me a second."

Yang was acting as the shot-caller for Ruby's welcome home party. The decorations, entertainment, refreshments, scheduling, Yang had thought of every detail herself, to the disbelief of some. She had hoped to have some help from Weiss, but for some reason she wasn't there yet. However, she couldn't dwell on that right now. Ruby was going to be there soon and she needed to make sure everything was in place for her arrival. Right now, that meant helping Nora with moving everything that was in the center of the room, to the walls. Yang wanted a large circle in the middle of the room for dancing, standing, talking, just socializing in general.

"Nora, pick your end up more!"

"Oh, sorry!"

The large, oddly heavy table which they were carrying was placed down on the floor, accompanied by a loud 'thud' that seemed to shake the whole room slightly. After finally moving everything out of the way, Yang and Nora let their eyes scan the room they were in and take in how much they, and everyone else, had actually achieved in the span of only a few days.

"Yang, I've got to hand it to you. I didn't know the cafeteria could look this... well... awesome."

"Thanks, Nora. I just wanted everything to look good for Ruby. She deserves to have a good time after being away for so long. I hope she likes it."

"The place look great. I'm sure she'll love it. Everyone else sure does."

"You really think so?"

"Of course! Look at how much work everyone has put into this place. How could she not?"

Yang began to observe everything she and her friends had accomplished, and when the scope of everything they had done hit her, she suddenly realized how tired she was. They had been working on this party since Ruby announced that she was coming home and Yang remembered she hadn't slept more than a couple of hours each night since then.

"Hey, Nora, I'm gonna let you and everyone else hold down the fort for a little while. I need to get some sleep before Ruby shows up. I'm exhausted and I'd rather not pass out while she's here."

"Oh, okay, no problem! I need to check on Ren anyway. He might need some help with the food."

"Thanks. I'll be back in a few."

Nora headed towards the kitchen as Yang started walking back to team RWBY's dorm, thinking about nothing except her bed, and how it was taking far too long for her to get there. However, as she turned a corner on her way to the dorm, she bumped into Blake. This earned a muffled grunt from the both of them and sent Blake falling onto the floor.

Yang reached out her hand to help her up, while apologizing. "Oh my god, I'm sorry, Blake. I wasn't paying attention to where I was going."

Blake stood up after being knocked down, and brushed herself off slightly. "It's alright. Where are you going? I figured you would want to be in the cafeteria finishing up the decorating."

"Ya, I would still be there if I could, but I am having a lot of trouble staying awake. These last few days have been kind of rough on me. I am going to try to get some z's in before Ruby gets here, so I'm going back to the dorm room."

"I understand. Come to think of it, you have seemed rather drained lately. Some rest would probably be good for you."

"I hope so. Oh, I almost forgot, did you talk to Weiss yet?"

"I did. She seemed stressed still, but I don't think it's enough to keep from coming to the party."

"Okay, good. I think Ruby would be heartbroken if she wasn't there."

Blake seemed slightly puzzled by this. "Why would she be so upset about Weiss not being there?"

"Oh... No reason! I-It's just that I think Ruby would be sad if all of her friends weren't there to see her, that's all."

Yang could tell by the look Blake was giving her, that she knew she was keeping something from her. After starting to feel uncomfortable sitting under Blake's piercing gaze, she decided to break the awkward silence between the two of them and leave in the process, as to not explain herself further.

"So, uh... I'm gonna head to the dorm, do you think you could head to the cafeteria? I left Nora in charge, but sometimes she can be a little... intense."

After staring at Yang for a few more seconds, Blake's expression softened. "Sure. I was heading back there anyway."

"Thanks, Blake."

After saying their goodbyes, they parted ways, with a suspicious Blake heading to the cafeteria, and Yang heading towards the dorm. Yang slowly walked to the door for the room, struggling to not fall asleep in the hallway. She walked through the door, kicked off her shoes, and collapsed onto her bed. As soon as her head hit the pillow, she was out cold.

Meanwhile, in the cafeteria, Blake and Nora were trying to herd everyone together. The finishing touches for the party were almost ready to go up, and everyone needed to be on the same page.

"Okay everybody! This place is almost done, but we need a battle plan! We need an elite team of decorators to take on this task!"

The crowd of people started to become slightly unnerved by Nora's sudden burst of energy. Jaune had been standing in front of the crowd, and was the first to speak up. "U-Um... Nora? Don't you think this is a little... over the top?"

"Over the top?! Ruby has been gone for a year! She needs to have the greatest party ever! Of all time! We're here to make sure that happens! All traitors and deserters will be... terminated."

Blake was the second person that tried to take control of control of the situation. "Everyone, the cafeteria is almost done being decorated. Anyone who is tired, has other things to do, or just doesn't want to help out with the rest is free to leave, but if you stay and help with the remainder of the decorations it would be greatly appreciated."

Everyone in the cafeteria began to have mumbled conversations among themselves. Some time after Blake made her announcement, the chatter of the group began to die down, and everyone agreed to help finish decorating.

"I knew my speech would get them going! I should be a motivational speaker, Blake!"

"I don't know if that would suit you very well, Nora..."

"What do you mean?"

"Um, well, You're such a good huntress. It seems like it would be a shame for all that talent to go to waste."

"Oh, I guess you're right! I'm going to check up on everyone and make sure everything is in tip-top shape!"

"Okay. I'll stick around here. If you need help with anything, find me."

"You got it!"

Blake watched Nora skip away and began to study the cafeteria, trying to take in everything that was happening. Nothing seemed to need her immediate attention, which meant she could take a break.

 _"Okay, everything seems to be in order. Yang really did an awesome job with this place. She's more talented than she realizes. Ruby is going to love this when she gets here."_ Blake gave the cafeteria one more glance to see if anything was wrong or messed up. _"Well, since everything seems to be okay for now, I think I'm going to read for a while. Now I just need to find a nice, quiet place that I can actually read at."_

After spending a rather lengthy amount of time looking, Blake finally found a spot in the cafeteria that would work. It was in the corner of the room and was behind a sculpture that was in place for Ruby's party. Blake pulled a chair over to her new spot, sat down, and began to read her book. Every now and then, she would take short breaks from reading and go make sure everything for the party was still going well.

 _"Well, this place is just about ready. Now all we are waiting for is the guest of honor. I wonder when she will be here. Wait, where is Weiss? I told her to be here! It's too late to go get her now, I told Yang I would watch everyone. I hope she shows up."_

In a different part of the school, Weiss was walking down one of Beacon's many hallways, heading towards the cafeteria. She was still trying to figure out why she was so nervous about seeing Ruby again, but she couldn't put her finger on it. Every thought that came to her mind was immediately shot down by another one. The constant stress of trying to figure out was causing all of her anxiety was beginning to eat away at her.

 _"Calm down, Weiss. It's only Ruby. I know she hasn't been here in a year, but that doesn't mean I should be nervous about seeing her. Am I just nervous about how she will react to everyone? No, that can't be it. What if I'm nervous about how she may have changed? That's just stupid. She probably hasn't changed a bit. Ugh! Pull yourself together, Weiss! You're a Schnee, after all. Don't let this stress get the better of you. I just wish I could figure this out. I guess there's nothing I can do it about right now. All I can really do is just wait for her to get here and hope everything goes well."_

Weiss began to subconsciously slow her pace, attempting to take as much time as possible in getting to the cafeteria. She wanted to see everything that Yang had done, and she wanted to be there before Ruby. She didn't want the attention of arriving after the main guest. As she thought about changing some of the cafeteria decorations, different styles of entertainment, and then abolishing those thoughts as to not anger Yang, she found that she had wandered far away from the lunch room.

 _"Perfect, I finally get my mind off of the whole Ruby thing, and I stop paying attention to where I'm going. Where am I at now anyway?"_ Weiss began to observe her surroundings. She was standing on a flat, stone walkway, which was on the edge of Beacon's campus, stopping mere feet away from a humongous cliff. She was almost certain she knew where she was, but the sound of a massive airship landing behind her just cemented her suspicions. It didn't take more than a few seconds for her to realize where she was. _"Well this is just great. I'm at the station. I have no clue how I even ended up here, but I need to get back to the cafeteria."_

As she began to turn around and walk back towards the school, a huge influx of people began to pour out of the ship that had just landed. Before long, Weiss was in the middle of a huge crowd. Some people were heading towards the school, some were heading towards another ship, and some were just standing around. She briefly lost where she was due to the sudden crowd around her, which threw off her senses. After a few moments, she finally found the right direction and began making her way back. She had just walked through the carved marble arches that served as Beacon's entrance to the courtyard, but she was stopped in her tracks by a peculiar scent.

 _"What is that? It's almost sweet. It's very familiar. Wait... I know this smell. It smells like... roses..."_ Weiss stopped dead in her tracks. She didn't dare move. She was terrified and she didn't know why. She wanted to turn around, see nothing, and go to the cafeteria, but she was unable to do anything except stand still. She tried to force her body to move, to no avail. As she stood in that same spot, not moving, the smell grew stronger and stronger as time passed. Before long, she heard the heavy 'clunk' of combat boots on stone. Suddenly the footsteps stopped, and she felt someone's presence right behind her. After a couple of seconds had passed, she felt a hand on her shoulder, which filled her with happiness and panic at the same time.

 _"Please don't let that be Ruby. Please don't let that be Ruby. Please don't let that be Ruby."_

A cheerful, high-pitched voice, that was all too familiar to her, spoke up. "Weiss, is that you?"

 _"...Damn it."_

* * *

 **Well, here's Chapter 2! It's still not as long as I would have liked, but I'm happy with it. Oh, and today I figured out that there are actually people out there that are following my story! Thank you soooo much for talking time to read it! I had no clue that people would actually find my writing... well... good! I hope this chapter is as good as everyone hopes it is, and if it is, leave a review! If it isn't, leave one anyway! I could always use constructive criticism!**

 **I'm going to try to have a chapter out at least once a week. That might be too slow for some people, but that way, I still have time to write without being under pressure and having to cram a chapter together and not have it be as good as it could be. Anyway, thanks for taking the time to read this, because I really enjoy writing it! I hope everyone will stick around until the end of the story!**

 **:D**


	3. Weiss, Interrupted

"Guys, we need to get rid of this bomb!"

*Beep*

"Okay, genius, have any bright ideas?"

*Beep*

"Uh, uh, um..."

*Beep Beep*

"Yang, do something!"

*Beep Beep*

"I-I don't... I don't know what to do!"

*Beep Beep Beep*

"Yang, please!"

*Beep Beep Beep*

"It's too late. We wouldn't be clear of the blast anyway. I... I think this is it. I didn't want to drag you all into this. I'm... I'm so sorry everyone."

*BeepBeepBeepBeepBeepBeep*

Yang shot up out of her bed, covered in sweat, realizing that she was dreaming.

 _"Whoa... What was that about? It was crazy. It's been a long time since I've had a dream like that. I'm glad that's all it was, but it seemed so real. It's almost like I can still hear that beeping noise."_

*Beep Beep*

 _"... What the hell?"_

*Beep Beep*

After a few brief seconds of panic, thinking she was hearing a real bomb, Yang realized the beeping noise was coming from her scroll. Once she figured that out, a wave of relief rushed over her. After giving herself a minute to calm down, she answered the call.

"Hello?"

 _ **"Yang?"**_

"Blake? Is that you?"

 ** _"Yeah, sorry. I know you were resting, but you've been sleeping for almost 3 hours. Ruby should be here soon so I thought that you might want someone to wake you up. We're putting the finishing touches up in the cafeteria, so I couldn't really wake you up in person."_**

It took Yang a minute to actually register what Blake was saying, due to her still being half asleep. "Oh, ya, thanks. I really needed to get more sleep than this, but I guess it will have to do. Were there any problems while I was gone?"

 ** _"Not really. There was a bit of a... situation with Nora, but I took care of it. So far there hasn't been anything that I couldn't handle."_**

"Okay. Good. I'm glad you agreed to help watch over everything. Thanks, kitty cat."

 ** _"Yang Xiao Long. Do. not. Call. Me. That."_**

"Hehe, sorry. I'll head that way soon, and seriously, thanks, Blake."

 ** _"Don't mention it."_**

After their short conversation, they both hung up their scrolls, Blake going back to decorating, and Yang trying to force herself out of bed.

 _"I really don't want to get out of bed, but I guess I have to. I need to check on the cafeteria and make sure everything is in place. I trust Blake, but I need to see it with my own eyes. Plus, if I don't get up now I'll probably just sleep all day and miss Ruby getting here. Okay, time to get this show on the road."_

Even though it took her a few minutes, Yang eventually mustered enough energy to get herself out of bed. _"Okay. First stop, bathroom. Next stop, cafeteria. Let's do this."_ After freshening up a little bit, Yang walked out of the dorm, shutting the door behind her and heading towards the cafeteria.

Meanwhile, in Beacon's courtyard, Weiss was having the panic attack of a lifetime.

 _"Oh my god. It's her. It's really her. What do I do here? I really didn't want to see her yet. I'm not ready for this. What do I do? WHAT DO I DO?"_

Ruby was confused as to why her friend was just standing still and being completely silent. "Weiss? Hello? Remnant to Ms. Schnee, please respond."

 _"Oh no, she's talking to me. She's talking to me! Why am I so nervous right now? Ugh. get it together, Weiss. Calm down. Just... turn around and face her."_ She slowly turned to face the reason for her current state of panic. "R-R-Ruby! I-It's so good to see you! We all missed you! I didn't expect... to... see you here..."

Weiss was at a complete loss for words. All conscious thought escaped her. Ruby looked different from how she remembered. She had medium length, dark red hair which barely went past her shoulders. Draped over her back was her signature cape, although it was a darker red than the one she previously had and came down to the back of her knees. The back of the cape had a large, black rose printed in the center of it. Attaching her cape to her shoulders were two silver, cross-shaped pins. Around her torso was a jet black corset, laced up with red ribbons, with a skirt following the same color scheme around her waist. Below her skirt, she was wearing black leggings which had red stripes going down the sides, that went down her legs until they disappeared beneath her black and red combat boots. Against her lower back, Crescent Rose was resting in a harness. Ruby had also 'matured' in certain areas. She had a certainly grown up while she was gone, and Weiss took notice. Another thing that happened to catch her attention, was that she had to look up slightly to see her face. Ruby was taller than her now.

 _"W-Wha... Ru... Ruby is... hot. Wait a second. No she's not. Why are you thinking that? Stop it! You're not allowed to think she's hot! It's Ruby! She's a girl and your best friend. You just happened to notice how pretty she was. That's all."_

"Weiss, are you okay?"

The heiress snapped out of her thoughts upon hearing Ruby's voice. "Oh! Ya, I'm fine. Never better."

"Are you sure? You seem pretty jumpy."

"Trust me, I'm fine. I was, um, just thinking about something."

"Alright then... So what are you doing out here?"

"Uh, well, I was actually heading somewhere else, but I had my mind on other things and lost where I was."

"Oh, okay." Ruby was confused. She had never seen Weiss act like this before. _"Something is up with her. I hope everything is okay."_

After standing in silence for what seemed like ages, Ruby attempted to break the tension. "So, how have you been? I haven't seen you or anyone else in forever!"

It took Weiss a minute to realize Ruby was actually talking. "Oh, uh, I've been doing well."

"Okay... How has everyone else been?"

"They've been doing good as well. Nothing much has happened since you've been gone."

Ruby was beginning to get a little frustrated with how difficult it was becoming to hold a conversation with Weiss. _"Man, it's like I'm talking to a wall. It's almost like she doesn't even want to talk to me. Did I do something to upset her when I left?"_

Several moments passed before either of the two spoke again, but this time, it was Weiss who broke the silence. "Ruby, I hope you don't take this the wrong way, but I have to go. I have something very important that I have to do. It can't wait. I'm really sorry."

Ruby's face dropped slightly after hearing this, but she quickly put on a fake smile and had a light-hearted tone in her voice. "Oh, it's okay. I can talk to you later. It was good to see you, Weiss."

"You too, Ruby."

After saying goodbye, Weiss began to walk to the cafeteria, slowly picking up her pace the farther she got from Ruby, hoping she wouldn't notice. After she could no longer see Weiss, Ruby let her smile fade and began to think about things she could have said or done that would make Weiss act this way towards her.

 _"Is she mad at me? Why would she just take off like that? I figured she would at least want to see me after I've been gone for so long. She's my best friend. At least, I hope she is. Maybe, I've been gone too long... I need to find Yang. She might know something about this."_ With that, she set off in the direction of the school, with the one thought in her head being to find her sister.

Meanwhile, sitting on a bench by one of Beacon's many fountains, was Weiss. She was completely still. Anyone who walked by could have mistaken her for a decorative statue if they weren't paying close attention. The only part of Weiss that was moving was her mind. She was having trouble sorting through all of the thoughts that were racing through it.

 _"How could I do that? Just leave in the middle of a conversation? I mean, I suppose I wasn't being very talkative, but I can't believe I did that! That was the first time Ruby and I have seen each other in a year. I was the first person that saw her when she got here, the first friend she had spoken to in person for so long, and I just left her there. I hate myself, but I don't think I could have stayed. Why am I so nervous about this? Why do I feel like I want to see her more than ever and stay away from her at the same time? Maybe... Could I... No! Don't think like that Weiss. It's ridiculous. There's no way that could be it. She's been gone for a very long time, you probably just missed her. Ugh, I need someone to talk to. Who can I trust? Oh! I'll find Blake. I know she can keep a secret. I guess I'll check the cafeteria first. Oh, and I should text Yang."_ After figuring out what she wanted to do, she got up from the bench and began her search.

Back at the cafeteria, the last of the decorations were up and everyone could finally relax. It had taken them three days to turn the cafeteria into what it was now. Everyone that head helped work on the party slowly began to leave. Before long, the only people who remained were Yang, Blake, and team JNPR. They were all sitting at a large, round table towards the side of the room.

"Guys, I can't tell you how much I appreciate all the help."

"Don't mention it, Yang. Ruby's our friend too. We were all more than happy to help."

"Thanks, Pyrrha. You too, Jaune, Ren, and Nora. Seriously. I couldn't have done this without you."

As they all sat there in silence, letting themselves relax after all the work they had been doing, Yang's scroll began to ring. As she picked it up, she realized that Weiss had sent her a text.

WEISS: Hey. I thought you would like to know, Ruby is here. I met her at the airship docks.

YANG: Already? I didn't think she would be here this soon. Thanks for telling me. Where is she at now?

WEISS: I'm not sure. I had to leave.

YANG: What? Why would you just leave her there?

WEISS: I had a... prior engagement.

YANG: Are you freakin' kidding me? What was so important?

WEISS: I'll explain later. Also, do you know where Blake is?

YANG: She's here with me. Why?

WEISS: Well, I need to talk to her. It ties into why I had to leave Ruby. Will you ask her to meet me at our dorm?

YANG: Ugh, I guess, but I want an explanation later. I'll beat it out of you if I have to, Ice Queen.

WEISS: I'll explain everything. I just need time. Thanks, Yang.

Yang set her scroll down on the table with slightly more force than she should have. Three days straight of decorating with very little sleep was beginning to take its toll on her. She was tired, sore, and now she was getting angry.

 _"How could Weiss just leave her? Ruby missed her! Maybe even more than anyone else..."_

Yang's thoughts were interrupted by Blake. "Who was that, Yang"

"It was Weiss. She wanted to let me know that Ruby is here. Oh, and she wants you to meet her at our room."

"What? Why?"

"I don't know. After she's done talking to you, drag her back here. I have some questions for her."

"Okay. Well it looks like I'm going to the dorm, I guess. I'll talk to you all later."

Everyone at the table told her goodbye, and Blake began making her way towards team RWBY's room. Everyone sat there in silence for a few minutes, letting themselves take a breather after working tirelessly for the past few days.

After some time had passed, Pyrrha spoke up. "So, Yang, did I hear you say that Ruby was back?"

"Huh? Oh, ya. Weiss texted me and said she ran into her."

"Is she on her way here?"

"I have no idea. Weiss isn't with her anymore."

"What? Why not?"

"I would like to know that myself. She said that she had somewhere to be. It had better be really damn important. Ruby is probably really upset that she just left her there." It was getting difficult for Yang to not talk with clenched teeth. She was very angry, and she was going to get some answers from Weiss when she saw her.

Team JNPR exchanged confused glances with one another, until Jaune spoke up. "Um, Yang?"

"...What?" She looked up to meet his eyes, and once they made contact, Jaune could see the slightest tint of red in Yang's. She was not happy.

"Well... Uh... I was just wondering about something. It was pretty harsh of Weiss to leave Ruby after she just got back, but why do you think she would be so upset? It's not like they won't see each other later tonight."

Yang's eyes slowly changed shades until they were back to their original color, and the scowl she was wearing slowly faded. Her head dropped down slightly and she lowered her voice. "Well... Can you guys keep a secret?"

This was answered with a 'yes' from everyone around her except for Ren, who simply nodded.

"What I'm about to tell you doesn't leave this table. If it does... Well let's just say you'll live to regret it. Do you guys remember how during her mission, Ruby was only allowed to communicate with one person, who she chose to be me?"

Pyrrha answered for everyone. "Yes, go on."

"Well, after being gone for a while, Ruby started to ask about everyone. She wanted to know how her friends were doing, if anything had changed at the school, talked about how much she had missed everyone, yada yada. For the past couple months, though, she has been asking about Weiss more than anyone else. It got to a point, whenever our chats had to end she would always say 'Bye, sis. Tell Weiss I miss her.' I don't even think she realized she was saying it."

"Okay, that's... odd, but not overly suspicious. Did you say anything to her about it?"

"Well, eventually, I called her out on it. I asked her why she said it, but her response was just 'Oh, Weiss is my best friend, I just miss her a lot.' But I knew that it was more than that based off of how she would react when I brought it up. During the last call I had with her, she asked some weird questions."

Now everyone at the table was leaning towards Yang, hanging on to her every word, as to not miss a single detail. To everyone's surprise, It seemed that Ren was more into the story than the rest of them, as he was the next one to speak up. "What kind of questions?"

"Well, first she started by asking how Weiss was doing, then asking if she ever talked about her. After a few questions like that, she asked one that I didn't expect. She asked if Weiss was seeing anybody. I know that just sounds like gossip between sisters about their friends, but she was only asking questions about Weiss, and no one else. When I told her Weiss wasn't seeing anyone, she seemed to get very excited. After that, we had to stop talking. I haven't had a conversation with her since then."

"So... Do you think..."

"Ya, I do. Even if Ruby doesn't realize it herself... she has feelings for Weiss."

Meanwhile, in the dorm room, Weiss was sitting on her bed, waiting for Blake to show up. She needed to talk to someone, but Blake was taking a long time. She was starting to become impatient.

 _"How long does it take to get to the dorms from the cafeteria? Hurry up, Blake! Ugh, screw it, I'll just text her."_ Weiss pulled out her scroll and looked up Blake's number, but as she started typing a message out, the door to the room opened. Weiss set her phone down and began lecturing the person coming through. "It's about time! What took you so long? It's not that long of a walk to get here from the..." Weiss was in shock, once again. As she began yelling at who she thought was Blake, the person that stepped into the room was, in fact, Ruby. _"No. No no no. What is she doing here?"_

"Oh, hey. Sorry if I interrupted something. I was looking for Yang."

"S-She's in the cafeteria."

"Oh, great, thanks." Ruby turned to walk out of the room, but stopped just before going through the door. "Hey, Weiss? Are you... Mad at me?"

"What? No! Why would you think that?"

"Well, you weren't very talkative at the station earlier, then you just left out of nowhere when you said you needed to go do something important. Yet, here you are, just sitting on your bed in the dorm. This doesn't look very important. It seems like you just wanted to get away from me. We're still friends right?"

Weiss realized that she hurt Ruby without meaning to. She took a breath, and attempted to have a normal conversation. "Ruby, I'm not mad, I promise. I have just had a lot on my mind, and needed to be alone. I know just leaving like that was... well... bitchy, and I'm sorry. Believe me, the last thing I had on my mind was making you upset, and if you think, for even a second, that we're not friends anymore, then you're an even bigger dolt than I remember."

Ruby had the widest grin ever plastered on her face. _"For some reason, I've missed hearing her call me that. It feels... Nice."_ After hearing what Weiss had to say, Ruby couldn't help herself. She ran to Weiss and embraced her. She picked her up and crushed her in a hug that made the heiress yelp. After the feeling of being hugged by Ruby wore off, Weiss realized she wasn't even touching the ground. Her face instantly turned ten different shades of red.

"Ruby Rose, put me down this instant!"

Ruby let go of her, but still had a smile on her face. "Oh, sorry, Weiss. I was just really happy. I was starting to think you hated me."

"I'm sorry I made you think that. I could never hate you, Ruby. You were my first real friend."

"Well, as friends, do you want to tell me what's been on your mind lately? It seems pretty serious to me."

Weiss began to panic a little. "Uh, I don't think that's a very good idea."

"C'mon, Weiss. You can talk to me."

Weiss thought about it, and she realized that it didn't seem like Blake was coming, and she needed to get this off her chest, even if it was to the person causing all of her stress in the first place. It was starting to eat at her, slowly driving her insane. "Ruby, if I tell you, promise me you won't say anything until I'm finished, and that you will always be my friend, no matter what."

Ruby started to become worried. "Of course. I'll always be your friend. I promise"

After taking a big breath, Weiss started talking. "Okay, I don't know how to say this, but I think... that maybe... I might... ugh... Ruby, I think that I li-"

As she was saying this, Blake came through the doorway for the dorm room, interrupting Weiss, and cutting off her sentence with her own. "Hey, Weiss. Yang said you wanted to talk to me? Oh my god, Ruby!"

"Heya, Blake! It's good to see you!"

"You too. How long have you been back?"

"Oh, not that long, I was actually looking for Yang, but I bumped into Weiss instead. Come to think of it, I should probably go see her."

"Well, if you want to see her, she should still be in the cafeteria with team JNPR."

"Oh, thanks, Blake. I guess I'll head that way. um, Weiss, would it be okay if we talked later? I can stay if you want, but I would like to go talk to Yang."

"It's fine. Go see your sister. I'll be okay."

"Okay, I'll catch up with you two later." Ruby left the room and left Blake and Weiss by themselves.

Blake turned to face Weiss. "So, what did you want to talk about?"

Weiss threw herself onto her bed and let out a sigh. "Ugh... Everything."

* * *

 **Woo! Chapter 3! This is way closer to the length I'm comfortable with, still just a _little_ short, but I can deal with it. Thank you to everyone that has favorited, followed and reviewed! I hope this chapter was good enough. I can't really think of what to say, hehe. If you liked it, leave a review. If it sucked, leave me one telling what I can do better! I'm still learning, so anything constructive will help! Thank you for your time. I'll see you all in the next chapter!**

 **:D**


	4. Realization

Ruby was walking towards the cafeteria to meet Yang. She missed walking through the halls of the school while she had been gone. She took in all of the statues, banners, pictures, and almost every other thing around the school. They hadn't changed at all since she left.

As she made her way to Yang, she was thinking about what Weiss had began to say, but had gotten cut off by Blake. _"I wonder what she was going to say back there. I guess I'll have to find out later. I'm glad we're still friends though. I really missed her. I hate to think this, but I think I missed her more than Yang. It's probably only because I was actually able to talk to her while I was gone, but I couldn't talk to Weiss at all. Plus, she's my best friend, so obviously I was going to miss her a lot. I'm glad she hasn't changed much. At least, not from what I can tell. I wish I could have stayed with her a little longer. Wait, I can just see her later. Why am I worried about that? Whatever, I can think about it later. For now, I'm going to go see my sister."_

As Ruby went to find Yang, Weiss and Blake were sitting in silence back at the dorm room. The longer they sat there without saying anything, the more annoyed Blake started to become.

"Weiss, if you want to talk about something, you're going to have to actually speak."

Weiss heard her, but she couldn't stop staring at her feet. All she could do was let out a mumbled "Mhm."

This pushed Blake over the edge. "Well, if you're not going to talk, then I'm going back to the cafeteria." As Blake stood up and began to walk towards the door, Weiss stopped her.

"Okay! I'll talk, I'll talk! Just... don't leave yet."

Blake let out a sigh and walked over to her bed. This was a side of her friend that she had never seen before. She sat down and made eye contact with Weiss. "Okay. Now talk."

"O-Okay. I'm trying to figure out where to start..."

"Well, try to hurry. I would like to go back to the cafeteria at some point."

Weiss took a deep breath. "Um... Well, lately I haven't been able to stop stressing out over... things."

Blake was surprised that she had actually started talking. It seemed like Weiss was being serious, so she walked to her bed and sat down. "What kind of 'things' have you been stressed over?"

"I'm... not sure. It started when Yang told us that Ruby was coming back. Ever since then I just, I don't know... I've started over thinking everything. Earlier, I bumped into her at the station and I freaked out. I had to make up some stupid excuse just to get away from her. As soon as I saw her I panicked. Now, I can't stop thinking about her and I don't know why. I wish I could get her out of my head."

Blake sat across from her in silence for a few moments before finally speaking up. "Weiss, why are you and Ruby friends?"

"What? What does that have to do with anything?"

"Just answer the question."

"Well... Ruby was the first person that ever tried to form any sort of... bond with me. I was always cold to her and she was nothing but nice to me. No matter how I treated her she was always seemed to care about me. Before long, I began to gravitate towards her, and her... unique personality. It was like nothing that I had done to her to her in the past mattered. All the times I talked down to her, screamed at her, fought with her, were all forgotten in her eyes. She was the first person that seemed to actually care about me, and before long I reciprocated her feelings. I guess that's why, but I fail to see how that's relevant."

"Well, do you still feel the same way towards her?"

"Of course! She's my best friend... but..."

"But... what?"

"Lately... it seems like the way I feel towards Ruby is somehow... amplified."

"Okay. Now what do you think that means?"

"I don't know... I mean, I thought I might know, but the thought itself is ridiculous."

"Why do you think that?"

"Because there's no way it could be that! Ruby is a girl! Plus, she's my best friend! There's no way that I could ever like..." Weiss looked at Blake before she finished her sentence. Her gaze was met with a smirk.

"Weiss, the fact that you refuse to accept the most logical reason for your current feelings just means you're trying to run from them. You need to seriously think about this. As soon as you accept the possibility of what you think is impossible, you will know whether it's true or not."

"But there's just no way that-"

Blake interrupted her with a stern tone in her voice. "Weiss. Think about it."

"I... I don't even know how to deal with this. That is, if it's true..."

"Well, just sit there, and try to come up with another reason you could be feeling this way. I can wait." Blake leaned back and crossed her arms.

"I... Ugh... I can't."

"Exactly. You've known the real reason this whole time. You just refused to acknowledge it."

"How can I do that when it goes beyond all of my reasoning?"

"You could say it out loud, for starters."

"I... I... I have to go." Weiss stood up and began to walk towards the door.

"Oh no you don't, princess. Sit back down." Blake stood up, grabbed her by the shoulder and pushed her onto her bed. "Now, say it."

Weiss eyes fell to the floor and she spoke softly. "I... hab... beelungs bor ruvy..."

Blake lifted the heiress' head up and locked eyes with her. "Say it more clearly this time. Don't say it under you breath."

"Ihavefeelingsforruby."

"One more time."

Weiss leaped off of her bed and threw her arms in the air. "FINE! I HAVE FEELINGS FOR RUBY!" As she said that, her eyes widened, and the reality of what had just come out of her mouth hit her. "Oh my god... I... I have feelings for Ruby." She slowly sat back down onto her bed and sat there in disbelief. _"How could I have not realized this sooner? I'm so stupid!"_

Blake stood up and placed her hands on her hips. A smile slowly crept across her face. "Well, it's about time you figured that out."

All Weiss could do was sit there, staring at the ground in disbelief. "This... isn't good."

"You don't know that."

Her head jerked up to make eye contact with the faunus in front of her. "Of course I do! Ruby is a girl! Even if I were to tell her, and IF she liked girls, there's no way she could like... someone like me. It would completely ruin our friendship."

"Well, you won't know until you tell her. Besides, Ruby isn't the kind of person that would just throw her best friend aside."

"You don't know would will happen! This is... complicated. There's no telling how she would react. If I were to tell her about this it could be catastrophic."

"At least you figured out how you feel. Just promise me you'll think about it. If you don't tell her at some point, you might regret it."

Weiss let her head fall again. "Okay, I'll think about it."

"Thank you. I'm going to head back to the cafeteria, do you want to come with me?"

"Not right now. I'll get there eventually. I just need some time to sort through all of this."

"Okay. I know you're worried, but just remember, Ruby is your best friend. The party tonight wouldn't be the same if you weren't there." Blake walked out of the room and gently shut the door behind her.

Weiss threw herself on her bed and stared at the ceiling. _"Why? Why did this have to happen? I don't understand. Why did it have to be Ruby? I mean... I suppose I could have fallen for someone way worse. She's nice, caring, selfless, she's a great friend, plus she's really cute. Whoa... Did I just say Ruby was... cute? I never thought, in a million years, that I would feel this way about her. I do feel better after talking to Blake, but now I have even MORE stress about this whole thing. It's just a different kind of stress, I guess. What the hell am I going to do about this? I don't even think I can face her now. Ugh, this is awful!I can't possibly tell her how I feel, can I? What if she hates me after I tell her? She could reject me or call me a freak. If she leaves, Yang would probably leave too. If she left, then Blake might leave. Then I would be by myself. I can't be alone again. Part of me wants to tell her, but part of me doesn't. For some reason, I can't help but think that if I don't tell her, it will just drive me crazy. This is so frustrating!"_ Weiss laid on her bed for several minutes in complete silence, trying to wrap her head around everything. _"I don't know how to cope with this. Ugh, and I have to see her tonight! What am I going to do? I can't tell her, but... I want to. You know what? I'm going to do it. No I'm not. Yes I am. No I'm not. Yes I am... Yes I am... YES I AM!"_ She pushed herself off her bed, and began to get ready for the party. She had gotten a second wind, and nothing was going to stop her now.

Back at the cafeteria, Yang and team JNPR were sitting at the same table from earlier. They were tired, and they were counting their blessings that the party didn't start for a few hours. Jaune and Nora had taken advantage of the momentary reprieve, and were both asleep, with their heads resting on the table. Yang, Ren, and Pyrrha were simply sitting in silence. That is, until the sound of a door opening caught their attention. They turned to face the source of the noise, and saw Ruby walking through the door. Yang shot out of her seat and ran towards her.

"Ruby! You're here! You're really here!"

"Hey, sis! I missed y-" Ruby was cut off by her sister scooping her up in a hug, which caused her to let out a small squeak while simultaneously losing all of the air in her lungs. "Y-Yang... t-too... tight..."

Yang put her down, and it took her a minute to catch her breath. "Sorry, I couldn't help myself. I just missed you so much! Wow, you look great! Did you get taller?"

All Ruby could do was smile. "Hehe,I guess I did grow up a little bit, didn't I."

Ruby and Yang could have stood there and talked for hours, but they were interrupted by another voice. "Ruby! Welcome back!"

The sisters turned around to see that Pyrrha was the one who spoke up. She was standing behind them, and she had the rest of team JNPR around her.

"Thanks, Pyrrha! It's good to be back! Jaune, Nora, Ren, It's good to see all of you!"

As the six of them stood there, catching up on a years worth of time apart, Ruby's eyes began to scan the cafeteria. She quickly realized that it was decorated for some reason. "Hey, what's up with the cafeteria?"

Team JNPR looked at Yang for an answer. They weren't sure whether the party was supposed to be a surprise or not. If it was, then that was out the window at this point.

"Well, the cafeteria has been decorated for a party..."

"Oh, what kind of party?"

Yang simply smiled at her sister's question. "A welcome home party!"

"Oh, really? Who is it for?" Ruby asked the question with a hint of sarcasm.

"Only the second best sister in the world!"

After hearing that, Ruby was confused. "Wait, second best?"

"Of course!" Yang smirked and pointed a thumb to herself. "I'm the best one!"

The sisters locked eyes, then laughed. Then Ruby realized that she may have walked in on a party that was supposed to be kept secret. "So, was this supposed to be a surprise party?"

Once again, team JNPR looked to Yang.

"Well, It could have been, but it didn't matter to me. I planned on rolling with whatever happened."

"Well, it looks great. Thanks, Yang."

Yang began to wave her hands in front of her face. "Oh, don't thank me. I may have planned all of this, but I couldn't have done it without these guys." As she was saying that, she pointed to team JNPR.

"Yang, Jaune, Pyrrha, Nora, Ren, thanks. This is awesome."

Jaune spoke up before anyone else could. "Don't mention it. You deserved to have something fun to come back to."

The group of friends stood silent for a few moments, no one sure what to say next, until Jaune spoke again. "So... Ruby... how was your mission?"

The room grew dead silent and Ruby slowly hung her head. Upon lifting it up slightly, her eyes met Jaune's, then fell to the floor. "Um, actually, if you don't mind... I'd rather not talk about that right now..."

"Oh, um, was everything alright?"

Ruby's voice was very low-pitched and soft. "Ya, everything turned out fine, but... it wasn't easy... I'll fill you all in later. I just don't want to think about it right now."

"Right. Sorry for bringing it up."

"Don't be sorry... You didn't know." After a few seconds passed, Ruby's head shot up and she seemed to be her regular, hyper active self. "So, when's the party? I'm ready for a good time!"

Yang looked at the time. "Not for a few more hours. We had to pick a time when all of the students would be out of class. You might want to find something to occupy your time for now."

"Aw, man, that sucks. Oh! I just remembered something. Do you guys mind if I talk to Yang alone?"

"Sure thing. We need to get some things from our room anyway. C'mon guys." Team JNPR made their way to their dorm and left Ruby and Yang by themselves.

Once they were gone, Yang turned to face her sister. "So, what did you want to talk about, sis?"

"Well, it's about Weiss..."

The older sibling started to become suspicious. "Okay... What about her?"

"Well, I bumped into her earlier at the docks, and she seemed really jittery and distant, almost like she wanted to get as far away from me as possible. Then, I ran into her at the dorm. She apologized for running off, and said she just had a lot on her mind. Do you have any clue what that could be?"

Yang had almost forgotten about that particular event. "I really don't. I would like to find out though. I want to know what was so damn important that she had to leave you at the station like that."

"C'mon, Yang. Don't get mad. It seems like something is really getting to her."

"Well, I don't know what it could be, but I can find out." Yang started to walk out of the cafeteria, in the direction of the dorms, but she was stopped by Ruby.

"Um... How about I go find her? That way, you can rest a little bit, and no one gets punched."

For a few seconds, Yang's eyes continuously darted between Ruby and the cafeteria door. "...Fine." She began to walk towards a chair which was next to a small table. "But you tell her that she had better come to the party tonight!"

"Okay, I will. I'll see you later, Yang." Ruby turned around and headed towards the dorm, hoping Weiss was still there.

After walking for a while, Ruby ran into Blake, who just happened to be walking towards the cafeteria. "Oh! Hey, Blake. Sorry for bumping into you."

Blake simply smiled back at her. "It's okay. That's not the first time someone has ran into me today. Are you heading back to the dorm?"

"Ya. Is Weiss still there?"

"She was there when I left, and it didn't look like she was going to leave any time soon."

"Okay, thanks. Where are you headed to?"

"The cafeteria, I was going to check in on Yang before tonight."

"Oh, gotcha. Well, then I guess I'll see you later."

Blake began walking towards the cafeteria, waving a hand behind her. "Okay, see you tonight, Ruby."

After walking for a while longer, Ruby finally made it to the dorm room. As she walked in she scanned the room for Weiss, but she soon realized she wasn't there. _"Well, that's just great. Now I have no clue where she could be. Since I'm here already, I guess I could fix myself up a little bit. I could really use a shower."_ Ruby made her way to the bathroom. However, upon opening the door, the first thing she heard was a shriek. The high-pitched sound belonged to a red-faced Weiss, who was currently in the bathroom, trying to get ready for the party. Due to the fact she was still getting ready, she wasn't exactly... decent. After going almost deaf from Weiss' scream, Ruby was slightly dazed, and all she could do was stare. She had never seen the heiress look so... vulnerable before. It was like time slowed down. She was able to see each curve of Weiss' body. At least, the ones that weren't covered by her snow-white hair, which seemed to have the faintest glow to it. Ruby was awestruck, and for some reason, she couldn't bring herself to look away, until Weiss' voice shook her out of the trance that she had been placed under.

Weiss covered herself with her hands the best that she could and screamed. "RUBY! WHY ARE YOU JUST STANDING THERE?! SHUT THE DAMN DOOR!"

Ruby was suddenly brought back to reality, and figured out that she was staring at her not-quite-naked friend. "Oh my god, Weiss! I'm so sorry!" She slammed the door shut and turned around. For a while, she just stood there, unsure of what to do or say. Her face was covered in a bright shade of red. _"Oh man, I hope she didn't notice that I was staring at her. Why was I staring at her anyway?"_ After a while standing in silence, she mustered the courage to speak. "...Weiss?"

"... Yes, Ruby?" There was a hint of annoyance in her voice, which made Ruby feel even worse than she already had.

"I- I'm really sorry. I had no idea you were in there. I was just going to take a shower."

She heard a small sigh come from the other side of the door. "... It's okay. I know it was an accident. In hindsight, I suppose that it's partly my fault. I should have locked the door."

More silence filled the area, until Ruby broke it. "So... um... Why are you getting all dressed up?"

"I'm getting myself ready for the party tonight."

Ruby's face lit up after hearing this. "You're going to be there?!" For a second, she confused herself. _"Why am I so excited about Weiss being there? I know she's my best friend, but I could see her some other time. I'm not gone anymore. I'm probably just excited to be home. Ya, that's gotta be it..."_

"Of course I am, you dolt. However, it would be much easier to get ready if I didn't have to talk." The sentence came out harsher than she wanted it to. _"Stop it, don't be mean to her. She didn't mean to walk in on you like that. It was probably just as embarrassing for her as it was for you. Just calm down. Don't give her a reason to be angry with you before you tell her... everything."_

"Right... sorry. I'll head back to the cafeteria..."

As she started to walk out of the room, Weiss' voice stopped her. "Ruby, wait."

"Ya?"

"I... I just want you to know that I'm not mad. I'm just... a little flustered. I've been really stressed lately, and this certainly didn't help. I'm sorry that I yelled at you."

The made the crimson-haired girl smile. "Thanks. I guess I'll see you at the party tonight."

"Okay. See you then."

Ruby left the dorm, making sure to lock the door on her way out. As she walked back towards the cafeteria, there was a thought in her head that she couldn't get out, no matter how hard she tried. _"Whoa... Has Weiss always been that cute?"_

* * *

 **Hey everybody! Man, this story has gotten way more attention than I ever thought it would! I'm really happy there's people out there that actually like my writing! I extend a "THANK YOU" to all of you wonderful, beautiful people that have followed, favorited, and reviewed! I know this chapter is a little shorter than the last one, but I hit writers block HARD. Sorry about that. I'll do my best to make the next one longer though, I promise.**

 **Side Note: MAN! That volume three finale was crazy! I laughed, I cried, I screamed, I cried some more, it was a roller coaster of emotion. I won't spoil anything in case anyone reading this hasn't seen it, (In which case, GO WATCH IT!) but now I need to figure out what to do with a few characters that I had plans for. I know that this story isn't really following canon, but I wanted to branch off into it, in my own way, at some point. Oh well, I'll figure something out. 'Til next time, everybody!**

 **:D**


	5. Confession

Blake and Yang were sitting at one of the tables surrounding the edge of the cafeteria. All of the decorating and planning were finished. The only thing left to do, was wait.

"So, Yang, where's Ruby?"

The blonde was close to falling asleep, but was jolted awake by the sound of Blake's voice. "Huh? Oh, she said something about going to the dorm room. She was going to check on Weiss. I imagine she's still there."

"Have you talked to her about 'that' yet?"

Yang put her elbows on the table, propping her head up with her hands. "No, not yet. I'm trying to wait for the right time. I wanted to give her a chance to unwind a little before I mentioned it. I figured that the last thing she wanted was to be bombarded with questions right after she got back."

"I suppose you're right. The party will be starting soon, should we go check on the two of them?"

"Maybe, maybe not. I think it would be... interesting if we left them alone for a while."

"Are you sure about that?"

"I think so. Besides, if things go sideways I can make Weiss regret it."

Blake's gaze fell slightly. "About that... I talked to her earlier and I have some good news."

This seemed to make Yang more alert. "Oh, really? What would that be?"

"Well, I discovered why she has been acting so distant lately. It involves your sister."

Yang was ready for the worst. _"Oh man, she hates Ruby. That's why she's been so weird. This is really, really bad."_

Blake saw worry slowly spread across the blonde's face and smiled. "Relax, Yang. I said it was GOOD news." She took a deep breath and continued talking. "Weiss has realized... that she has romantic feelings towards Ruby."

Yang's jaw dropped. She could have sworn that it hit the table. "S-She... what... who... WHAT?!"

"You're surprised?"

"Well, yeah! How would I have know that?!"

Blake shrugged. "It was fairly obvious to me. She always seemed to act different when the subject of Ruby came up. Especially after you told us she was coming back."

"Wow, I can't believe this. There's something that is bugging me though..."

"What would that be?"

"After figuring out how she feels for her, will Weiss actually act on her feelings? I mean, with the way she was raised and everything, this has to be mind-boggling to her."

"I tried to push her in that direction, but the rest is up to her."

Yang sat in silence for a second, then her eyes widened. An idea had appeared in her mind and she was about to drag Blake into it. "I got it! We'll just have to play matchmaker for them!"

A voice came from behind them. "For who exactly?"

The duo turned around and panicked slightly. The voice was Ruby's.

"R-Ruby! I thought you were back at the dorm."

"Well, I was, but there was an... accident."

"What happened?"

Ruby stared into her sister's eyes. "Oh no you don't, you're not changing the subject that easily. Who were you two talking about?"

Blake and Yang exchanged worried looks, then Blake came up with an excuse. "It's Ren and Nora. They've been becoming closer and closer, but neither one of them will acknowledge their feelings for each other. Yang and I were coming up with a plan to further their relationship."

Yang stared at Blake with a look that screamed 'thank you'. Then she turned to Ruby. "Yeah, what she said."

Ruby began to jump up and down with excitement. "Oh! Let me help! Let me help!"

"I don't know about that. We're still figuring out how to do this."

"C'mon! I'm great at planning!"

Blake spoke up again. "We aren't planning anything. Not yet, anyway. When we start putting things together, we will let you know. Deal?"

Ruby's face dropped a little. "Okay, fine."

After a brief silence, Yang remembered her sister mentioning an 'accident'. "Okay, so now that you know what we were talking about, what happened back at the dorm?"

Ruby started to get a little nervous. "Well, um, I was going to take a shower, but it turns out Weiss was in the bathroom and she had forgotten to lock the door. I didn't know that until I had started to go in..."

"Oh, really? Was she dressed?"

Ruby refused to look in her sister's eyes. "N-No... Not completely."

"Wow, sis, so I guess you got an eye full huh?"

"... Y-Yeah." Ruby's face was a slowly turning a bright shade of red.

Yang smirked. "... Was she hot?"

Silver eyes collided with lilac ones as Ruby glared at her sister. "Yang! This isn't funny!"

"Oh, c'mon, it's a little funny."

"Blake, tell her!"

The faunus turned to Yang. "Stop giving her a hard time." To everyone's surprise, Blake said something else. "That being said, this is slightly humorous."

Ruby gasped and feigned being hurt. "You traitor!"

Yang laughed. "Calm down. Don't get mad just because she agrees with me." This earned the blonde another intimidating look from her sister. _"Man, if looks could kill..."_

Blake stood up from the table. "I think I'm going to go check on Weiss. I imagine she would be decently dressed by now." As she walked by Yang she whispered under her breath. "I know it's soon, but here's your chance to talk to her."

Ruby waved to her as she walked out of the cafeteria. "See you later, Blake!" Then she looked at Yang. "So, what now?"

"Actually... I wanted to talk to you about something..."

"Okay, what?"

"You might want to sit down."

"Is... Is everything okay?"

"Yeah, nothing serious to worry about. I just want to ask you some questions."

"Okay..." Ruby sat down at the table, across from her sister.

"Ruby, have you ever had a crush on anyone?"

The question caught her completely off guard. "Um, what?"

"Have you ever liked anyone? Like, more than a friend?"

 _"Why is she asking me this?"_ Ruby shrugged. "I'm not sure... maybe? Why does that matter?"

Yang already had a plan formulated in her head. "Well, I just thought I'd ask. I think I know someone that likes you."

Ruby's face was full of surprise. "What? Who?"

"I don't know if I should tell you... y'know, since you don't know if you like anyone."

Ruby had gotten up and grabbed Yang by her shoulders. "C'mon, now you HAVE to tell me!"

"Okay... it's Jaune."

"...Really? I could have sworn that he liked Pyrrha."

The blonde shook her head. "Nope! I overheard him talking to Ren about it. What do you think about that?"

"I... Uh... Well, It's nice to have someone out there that actually LIKE likes me..."

"Perfect! I'll set you two up on a date!"

"No, don't do that!" The sentence came out louder than she had intended.

"Whoa, sis, sorry for recommending it." Inside her head, Yang was smiling.

Ruby looked at her feet and lightly tapped the floor with one of her boots. "Don't be, I'm sorry I yelled. It's just... maybe I do like someone..."

Yang leaned back in her chair and crossed her arms. "Oh, really now? Who might that be?"

Ruby still didn't look up. "It's... somebody."

Things were going the exact way that Yang wanted them to. "I'm going to need more than that. Do I know them?"

"Y-Yes..."

"Okaaay, do they go to Beacon?"

"Uh-huh..."

"Hmmm... Oh! Is it... a girl?"

Ruby's head shot up. Her face was almost as red as her cape. "What kind of question is that?!"

"Sorry, just thought I would ask."

The two of them remained quiet for a few seconds until Ruby asked a question. "W-Would it be wrong... if it was a girl?"

"Of course not! That kind of thing doesn't matter!"

Hearing that made Ruby feel a little better. "Well, in that case... it is a girl..."

"Really? Okay, give me a second. Let me think of all the girls in Beacon."

Ruby was getting more nervous as time passed. _"Why am I telling her all of this? Do I really... like Weiss as more than a friend?"_ She was shaken out of her thoughts by Yang.

"I got it! It's Velvet!"

Ruby shook her head, still refusing to look her sister in the eye. "Uh-uh."

"Okay, is it... Coco?"

"Nope."

"Nora then. It's gotta be Nora!"

Ruby sat back down at the table and hung her head. "Try again."

"It's a girl, I know them, they go to Beacon... Oh my god, it's professor Goodwitch!"

"Ugh, no!"

 _"Now, Xiao Long, go in for the kill."_ Yang leaned forward and put one hand under her chin, letting her other arm rest on the table. "Well, that's everyone I can think of right now. Wait... It can't be. Ruby... is it Weiss?"

Ruby said nothing. She slowly sank into her chair and began to pull her cape around her face.

"Oh man, it IS Weiss!"

A muffled scream came from under Ruby's cape. "Shut up!"

"Aw, don't be like that. I'm just happy that you found someone you like!"

Ruby began to let her cape fall from her face. "I'm not sure I do like her. At least, not like that. It's just..."

"Just what?"

"I don't know... I missed her a lot while I was gone and I was really upset when she left the airship docks earlier. Then I couldn't stop staring at her in the dorm. She just looked so cu-" Ruby clamped her hand over her mouth, but it was too late. Yang had picked up on what she was going to say.

"You think she's cute! That's so sweet!"

"Shut up, Yang!" Ruby began to bury herself in her cape again.

"Y'know, the fact that you think she's cute is pretty concrete evidence in my book."

"... Really? So, I do like her?"

"Ruby, I can't tell you whether or not you do, it just seems that way to me. You need to decide for yourself. So, what do you think?"

 _"What DO I think? Do I really like Weiss... like 'that'? She's my best friend, but... I feel like I have a bond with her that goes beyond friendship. Plus, she really was cute in the bathroom earlier..._ " Ruby let herself look up to see Yang. "I guess... I guess I do like her..."

The older sister sat on the other side of the table for a few moments without saying anything at all. She wasn't even moving. Then, she casually got up, walked over to Ruby, and picked her up in another bone-crushing hug. "I'm so happy for you, sis!"

Ruby would have been screaming at Yang to put her down, if she wasn't on the verge of passing out from a serious lack of oxygen. "Yang... breathe... can't... pas.. ut..."

Upon realizing she was coming close to killing her, Yang put her down. "Sorry... again. I guess I should learn to control myself better. So what are you going to do now?"

Ruby hadn't thought of that. "Um, I don't know. What should I do? Should I tell her?"

Yang shrugged. "If you want. I know it would be a weird thing to bring up, but you should give it a lot of thought. You never know, telling her might not be a bad thing."

"I doubt that. Weiss is the last person in the world that would be interested in girls." Ruby stared at the ground. "But... I still feel like I want to tell her... just so I know that I tried."

Yang put her arm around her sister. "Well, if that's how you feel, then you should do it. If things don't go the way you want them to, Mama Yang will be here to take care of you."

Ruby pulled her into a hug of her own, one that wouldn't cause loss of life. "Thanks. I love you."

"I love you too, sis."

Back in the dorm, Weiss was putting the finishing touches on her outfit for the party. As she adjusted herself for the last time, she heard someone come into the room. After walking out of the bathroom she realized that it was Blake.

"Oh, Weiss, there you are. The party will start soon. Are you done here?"

"Yes. I'm ready."

Blake's gaze narrowed. "Have you come to a decision?"

Weiss let out a long sigh before answering her. "I have. I'm going to tell her tonight."

"Okay. I just came to see if you had thought about it anymore. I'm heading back, are you coming with me this time?"

Weiss looked herself over one last time in the mirror. "Yes, I'm coming. Let's just hurry before I change my mind." The pair exited the dorm and shut the door behind them.

Meanwhile, the cafeteria was beginning to fill with people. Yang and Ruby were standing towards the side of the room, intentionally avoiding the center. However, this didn't keep people from coming up to Ruby and asking her how she had been, what she was up to, and how happy they were that she was back. It was beginning to annoy her. She was tired of answering the same questions over and over again. After a while, the last of the students had said their hello and went to take in the rest of the party.

Ruby leaned against the wall of the cafeteria. "Ugh, I though they would never stop."

"What's wrong? I thought you would love people coming up and talking to you since you've been gone so long."

"I do, but... I guess I just didn't realize how many there were."

"I should have put a limit on the amount of people that could show up. I didn't think it through. Sorry."

"No, don't apologize. It's stupid of me to complain about people missing me. Now that I'm looking, I'm pretty under dressed..."

Yang wrapped her arm around her. "Don't worry about that. It doesn't matter how you're dressed. What matters, is that you're back. You don't see me all prettied up do you?"

Ruby sank against the wall she was leaning on. "I guess not..."

"Besides, this isn't really a formal party. I can't imagine that anyone would spend a lot of time on how they're dressed." As she said that, Blake came through the door of the cafeteria, followed by Weiss. The latter of the two completely disproving what Yang had just said.

Ruby immediately noticed her. "Is... Is that Weiss?"

Yang followed her eyes and saw the pair walking in. "Yeah, I guess it is."

"She looks... really good..." After she said that she put her head down to hide the blush which was slowly creeping up her face.

The older sister smiled. "Look at you! You're so adorable!"

"Stop teasing me!"

Yang crossed her arms. "Okay, I'll stop, but you have to go talk to her."

Ruby stared daggers in her direction. "You're awful."

"Oh, c'mon. Just go say something to her."

"Fine, but don't even think about leaving. If I need you and you're not here, I'll hunt you down."

Yang started to push her towards Weiss. "I know, I know. Now go make me proud."

On the other side of the room, Weiss and Blake were having their own conversation.

Weiss was letting her eyes scan the entire space. "Wow, there's a lot of people here. I don't even see Ruby or Yang."

Blake pointed towards the side of the cafeteria. "Look, there they are."

The heiress followed her finger and saw the pair of sisters. "Oh, you're right. Wait... Why does it look like Yang is pushing Ruby over here?"

"I'm not sure." Blake didn't show the concern slowly growing inside her head. _"I really hope she talked to Ruby about this whole thing."_

Before long the two sisters were standing in front of them. Yang spoke up first. "Hey, there you guys are! Perfect timing! Blake I could use your help with something." She ended her sentence with a wink that only Blake saw.

"Sure, lead the way."

Weiss was left there with a silent Ruby. "So, Ruby, how are you liking the party?"

Ruby was incapable of speech. She was dumbfounded by Weiss' appearance. She was wearing a long, white, silk dress, which split open halfway down her right thigh. On the back was the signature Schnee snowflake emblem. Her hair was pulled back into two braids, starting at the sides of her head, joining behind it, trailing down between her shoulders and stopping in the middle of her back. She also was also wearing solid white high heels. Around her neck was a necklace made out of a white gold chain, with a blue dust stone encased in glass in the middle.

"It's... um... g-good." She couldn't help but stare at the heiress and it was beginning to make her uncomfortable.

"Ruby, could you stop... staring at me?"

The dark haired girl shook her head in an attempt to form coherent thoughts. "Sorry about that, Weiss. You look really good!"

"Thanks, Ruby..." She tried to hide the shade of red slowly making its way onto her face, but it was almost impossible thanks to her snow-white skin.

Ruby looked away from her. "I'm really glad that you came. I wasn't sure you were going to for a while there."

"Of course I was going to be here, I missed you."

This made the younger girl smile. "Really? I missed you too..." Now both of them were blushing.

"Ruby, do you think we... could talk?"

"Sure! What do you want to talk about?"

"I meant... somewhere else, without all of this noise."

"Oh, uh, yeah, I know the perfect spot. Follow me." Ruby led her through one of the doors of the cafeteria.

Yang noticed the two leaving from across the cafeteria, and nudged Blake slightly. "Hey, there they go."

"I suppose they're going somewhere less crowded."

"My baby sister is growing up so fast." After a bit of effort, Yang managed to make a single tear roll down her face.

Blake simply rolled her eyes. "Don't be so dramatic."

Meanwhile, Ruby had led Weiss out of the cafeteria, up a nearby staircase, and out on to one of Beacon's many balconies. "Is this spot good? This has always been one of my favorite places to go." Ruby walked towards the railing around the balcony and placed her arms on it. She stared out over the landscape, taking in the night air and the scenery which accompanied it. After a while, she turned back to Weiss. "So what did you want to talk about?"

Weiss walked over to her until she was directly beside her, looking out over the railing. "Ruby... have I ever thanked you?"

"... For what?"

"For anything. You're the person I'm closest to, but I don't think I've ever thanked you for actually being friends with me."

The younger girl was starting to get confused. "I don't know, but you don't have to. I'm friends with you because I wanted to be, not out of sympathy or anything like that."

"You were the first person that ever treated me like a... well, a person. Everyone else either automatically hated me, or treated me like a queen, all because of my family's name. So, thank you, Ruby." Weiss turned to face her leader and met her gaze.

"...Um, you're welcome..."

The two stared into each other's eyes, neither of them sure what to do or say next.

"Weiss, I've actually been meaning to talk to you about something too... Do you... Well..."

"Yes?" The two subconsciously moved closer to one another.

"I've been thinking about some things lately..."

"Okay, what kind of things?"

Ruby shuffled her feet nervously, not breaking eye contact with Weiss. "It's kind of embarrassing..."

"Ruby, you can tell me anything, you should know that."

"It's about... uh... relationships..."

The older girl's eyes widened slightly upon hearing this. "What do you mean?"

"Well, let's just say there's this person who I think... I might... like."

Weiss' heart sank after hearing that Ruby had feelings for someone. "...Really?"

"Y-Yeah..."

"Who, um, who is it?"

Ruby let her eyes fall to the ground. "It's... Ugh, I don't know if I can tell you."

"Well, just tell me something about them." Weiss was having trouble with the whole situation. _"Just because I like her doesn't mean I want her to be unhappy if there's someone out there that she has her eyes on. I don't know why I got my hopes up in the first place. Damn you, Blake."_

"Uh...Okay. Well, they go to the school and they're a really good person, even if they don't realize it sometimes."

"Tell me more."

"They are really caring, but a lot of people don't see that side of them. Oh, and she's a really great fighter."

 _"Wait, wait, wait... Did I just hear... 'she'?"_

Ruby had realized her mistake and started to back away from Weiss. "Um, on second thought, I think I'm going to go back to the party. I'll talk to you later."

She tried to run, but Weiss grabbed her by her cape. "Ruby, wait a second."

"No!" She broke free and ran to the door that led inside the building.

 _"Your not getting away that easily."_ Weiss made a glyph beneath her and propelled herself in front of Ruby, cutting off her escape. "Tell me, did you just say 'she'?"

"I, uh, maybe..."

"Okay. Then tell me who it is. I want to know."

Ruby shook her head vigorously. "I can't! It's crazy!"

"You said they go to the school, right?"

"... Y-Yeah..."

"Are they on team CFVY?"

"No..."

"What about team JNPR?"

"... No..."

"Okay... what about our team?"

Ruby was completely silent.

 _"Oh my god... is it me? It can't be, can it?"_

"I'll take that as a yes, then. Am I right?"

The taller girl nodded.

"... Is it Blake?"

Ruby didn't respond.

"Ruby. Is it Blake?"

Ruby slowly started backing towards the middle of the balcony, unsure of where she could actually go.

"Answer me, or you're not getting back into the school."

"I... I-It's not... Blake..."

 _"Oh my god... Is this really happening?"_ Weiss started walking towards Ruby, who was still looking for an escape. "Well, Yang's your sister, so that only leaves one person..."

Ruby looked up at her. Her face was beet red and her eyes were full of tears. "W-Weiss, I'm sorry! I know it's dumb! I know you could never feel the same way towards me but I-"

Everything that she wanted to say didn't matter. She was focused on the pair of lips that were suddenly connected to hers.

"Be quiet, you dolt."

* * *

 **Man, this chapter took a lot out of me. I re-wrote it about three times before I was happy with it. Now, it's 7:00 A.M. here, and I've been awake for about twenty hours. I apologize for any grammatical mistakes in this chapter, because there could be several. I am about to fall asleep typing this, but I really wanted to get this chapter out, so I hope everyone likes it! Please review, follow, and favorite, and thanks to all of you that have already! See you in the next chapter.**

 **:D**


	6. Happy Accident

Ruby was frozen. She could only stand still and stare blankly at Weiss. She tried to will her body to move, to no avail. Her mind was racing and her heart was beating faster than she thought possible.

 _"She's.. kissing me. Weiss Schnee is kissing me. I'm being kissed by Weiss. Kissing me, right now, is Weiss Schnee... WEISS IS KISSING ME! DO SOMETHING, YOU IDIOT!"_

Ruby tried to do something, anything, to respond to what was happening. All she managed to do was scream. "W-WEISS!"

The heiress pulled back, surprised by Ruby's voice, and by herself. Her eyes widened as she realized what she had just done. "Ruby, I-I..." Words were failing her. She couldn't think straight. "... I don't know what came over me. Just... talking to you and figuring out how you feel about me I just... I acted on impulse. I'm sorry." Weiss hung her head and began to turn away from Ruby, who was still reeling from what had just taken place.

Ruby noticed her leaving and grabbed her by the arm. "Weiss, wait."

The older girl stopped and turned back to her leader, not looking up as to hide her embarrassment. "...Yes?"

Ruby was still racking her brain, trying to come up with something to say, but there was a question she wanted answered. "Weiss, why... why did you do that? Why did you kiss me?"

Weiss pulled her arm out of Ruby's grasp. "I don't know... Let's just talk about this later." She turned and began to walk towards the door of the school, but Ruby's voice stopped her. It wasn't angry, or timid, or her usual goofy, care-free tone. It was serious and intimidating, and it sent chills up Weiss' spine.

"Weiss, I want to talk about this now. You caught me by surprise a minute ago, but I would _love_ to see you try to outrun me when I'm giving it my all."

She knew that running from her wasn't possible. _"Damn that semblance of hers."_ She slowly faced her again. "I-I don't know why."

"You don't know?"

"No."

"Please don't keep this from me. Tell me the truth." Her voice was soft, but it was stern.

She raised her head and looked into her partner's eyes, only to look away seconds later. "I can't tell you."

"Weiss, you figured out how I felt and then you kissed me. I just want to know why." Tears began forming in her eyes again. "Just... Just tell me you didn't do it only to make me feel better."

"Of course not!" Weiss sighed. "I... didn't want to just thank you for everything you've done for me. At least, that's not the only thing I wanted to talk about. There was something else... it's the main reason I wanted us to be... alone."

"Okay, but what does that have to do with... with 'this'?"

"Ruby... I missed you while you were gone. I didn't realize how difficult it would be for me to not talk to you. I had gotten so used to seeing you everyday, I actually thought I wouldn't mind you being gone for a while."

Ruby's tears that had been forming began to trail down her face. However, they immediately stopped with what Weiss said next.

"... But I was wrong. I was very, very wrong. I had begun to feel... empty after you had been away for a while. It was like something was missing. I wasn't sure why I felt that way and it made me angry. I hated not understanding the feelings that I had."

Ruby stood silent, clinging to her every word and hoping this story was going in the direction that she so desperately wanted it to.

"It wasn't until tonight, with more than a little help from Blake, that I realized what it all meant."

Ruby was holding her breath. _"Please... Please let her say it. Please..."_

For the first time in a while, Weiss looked directly into Ruby's eyes. "Ruby... I feel the same way towards you. That's why I did it. I know it was a sudden, brash decision on my part, but I've been struggling with this for so long without knowing it an-"

This time, it was Weiss' sentence that had been cut short. Her eyes went wide as Ruby pulled her close, letting their lips come together. After her surprise began to fade, she slowly closed her eyes and cradled the back of Ruby's head, deepening the kiss. They remained like that for a few seconds before finally breaking apart. They stared into each other's eyes for less than a second before letting them fall to the ground. Both of their faces were burning due to the severe blushes that had been placed on them.

After a few moments of silence, Ruby tried to break the tension in the air. "So... I guess this makes us even..."

This only made Weiss blush more, if that was even possible. "... You dolt." She tried to sound serious, but she couldn't stifle a small laugh coming out of her mouth, which Ruby replied to with one of her own.

"So... Weiss?"

"Yes?"

"Where... Where does this leave us?"

"I'm not sure right now. I think we should both give this a lot of thought." It almost physically hurt her to say that, because she knew what she wanted already. She wanted Ruby.

"... Yeah. I guess you're right." There was a hint of pain in her voice, which Weiss picked up on.

"I'm sorry, but I don't think it would be smart for us to rush into something. This is important."

"I know..." Ruby stared at her feet and muttered under her breath. "I'm still going to tell Yang though."

Weiss shot her a glare. "Ruby!"

"What? I HAVE to tell her, she's my sister! If she finds out I that hid something this big from her..." Ruby's whole body shuddered.

This made the heiress smile. _"She's still scared of her sister. That's... cute."_

"What are you smiling about?"

"Oh, nothing."

"Um... Okay, then..." There was a bit of an awkward silence before Ruby spoke up again. "So does this mean we can go back to the party?"

"I suppose... But let's keep this to ourselves for now, okay? Don't tell anyone except your sister."

"Okay!" Ruby ran to the doorway. "C'mon! There's a party in there!"

Weiss rolled her eyes. "You are such a dolt."

Ruby turned to her and had a huge grin on her face. "Yup, I know."

The pair went inside the building, shut the door, and headed towards the cafeteria.

Back at the party, Blake and Yang were beginning to worry about the two that had left.

"They've been gone an awful long time..."

"Relax, Yang, I'm sure everything is fine."

"It'd better be. If Weiss hurts my sister..."

Blake noticed the blonde clench her fists, and was grateful that she didn't have Ember Celica with her right now. "After what she told me, I don't think you need to worry about anything like that."

As she looked around the cafeteria, Yang noticed her sister and Weiss coming into the room. "Blake! Blake! They're back! C'mon!"

"Yang, don't you think we shou-" She was unable to finish talking, as Yang grabbed her by the arm and pulled her through the crowd of people in the middle of the room, before finally stopping in front of Ruby.

"Hey! You're back!" She realized she might have sounded a bit too excited and tried to calm herself. "Where, uh... Where have you been, sis?"

Weiss answered for Ruby. "Oh, as if you didn't already know."

Yang tried to put on a shocked expression. "What do you mean?"

"I know I talked to Blake about this, and with how badly Ruby seems to want to talk to you, I would assume that she has been talking to you about it."

Yang scratched the back of her head nervously. "I... Uh... Um..."

"Ruby also told me something rather interesting on the walk back here."

"Really? What, uh, what did she tell you?"

"She mentioned that she overheard you and Blake talking about playing matchmaker for someone earlier. She said you told her you two were talking about Ren and Nora, but she also said she didn't catch the beginning of the conversation."

As she was saying this, Blake slowly stepped back until she was able to slip away unnoticed.

"Call me crazy, but I think you were talking about the two of us!"

Yang didn't say anything.

"Well? Were you? You might as well tell us at this point."

Yang looked to Weiss, then Ruby, then back to Weiss. "Um... It wasn't my idea! It was Blake's! I swear! Talk to her about it!" With that, Yang sprinted away as fast as she could, hoping Ruby wasn't the one that gave chase.

"Ugh, that girl..." Weiss grinded her teeth together then turned to face Blake. "Well, was it your id- Wait! Where is Blake?!"

Ruby giggled at Weiss. She may have been mad at Blake and Yang, but her face was still red from the night's previous 'events'. It was an amusing sight to her. "It looks like she skipped out while you were talking to Yang."

"Damn it!"

"Calm down, Weiss. We can talk to them later."

"I suppose you're right. So, what do you want to do now?"

"Part of me wants to stay here and enjoy the party since everyone put so much work into it... but..."

"But?"

"But part of me wants to sleep... forever."

After hearing that, Weiss realized how tired she was herself. "That actually sounds like a really good idea."

"Sooooo..."

"So let's go to bed. It's been a long day."

As the two walked towards their dorm, they were stopped in their tracks by Nora.

"And just where do you think you two are going?"

"Uh... We were going to head back to the dorms. We're both pretty tired."

"This early? No way! You're going to have fun, whether you want to or not!" Nora grabbed their arms and pulled them to the center of the room, where the rest of team JNPR happened to be standing. She stopped in front of them and presented Weiss and Ruby. "Look who I found trying to sneak out!"

Ren put his face in his hands after seeing her drag the unwilling pair over to them. "Nora, what are you doing?"

"Partying, duh! I thought it would be better if we had the guest of honor and her best friend here too!"

Pyrrha walked over to Weiss. "Hey, if you two are tired, feel free to leave. We can distract Nora."

Ruby turned to her head to Pyrrha. "What makes you think we're tired?"

"Well, the two of you look exhausted. I could tell as soon as I saw you."

"Oh... Well, I would like to go to bed, but I really want to stay since you all worked on this so much. Weiss, do you want to stay?"

Weiss hung her head. "I suppose."

Nora popped up between them and threw her arms around their shoulders. "Awesome! Get ready for the greatest night of your life!"

Ruby and Weiss exchanged nervous glances, worried about the inevitable doom that Nora's idea of 'fun' was bound to bring.

Meanwhile, in one of Beacon's supply closets, which were littered throughout the school, Yang was trying to catch her breath. _"Oh man, I'm lucky that they decided not to chase me. I would have been a goner, and where did Blake go? Plus, how the hell was she able to sneak off like that without anyone noticing?"_ She pulled out her scroll to check the time. _"Wow, have I really been in here for 30 minutes already? I guess the coast would be clear by now."_ She slowly opened the door of the closet and as she stepped out, she bumped into someone. "Oh, I'm sorry! I should have watched where I was g... Blake?"

Blake stood up and dusted herself off, briefly glaring at Yang. "How many times do you have to knock me down in one day before you learn to be more careful?"

"Um... I guess two?" The blonde laughed nervously.

"Why were you in a supply closet?"

"Well, I kind of ran away from Weiss and Ruby and needed a place to hide for a while. Also... I might have told them that MY idea was... YOUR idea... pleasedon'thateme."

The faunus let out a sigh. "Why did you tell them that exactly?"

"I panicked! Weiss was being, well, _scary_ Weiss, so I threw the blame off of me and ran."

"Whatever. I'm going to the roof. I'll talk to you later."

"What? Why are you going there?"

"Well, I imagine Weiss will be angry at me, so I'm going to try to stay away from her for now. That means, I probably won't go back to the dorm tonight. At least, not until I'm sure she and Ruby are asleep."

"Oh, okay. So, you want to wait for the Ice Queen to... 'cool off'?"

Blake stared at Yang, who had an open-mouthed smile and winked at her when their eyes locked. She said nothing, and simply turned and walked towards a staircase that led to the roof.

"Aw, c'mon! That was a good one! Wait, I've got better ones! I promise!" Yang chased after her, followed her up the staircase, and onto the roof.

Back at the party, things had gotten... a little out of hand. Nora had tried to force a rather large group of people to dance. She was becoming an annoyance very quickly, and after a few minutes had passed someone shoved her away. However, they just happened to push her into a stack of speakers. As Nora fell backward, she knocked over a table that was loaded down with drinks. The drinks then spilled onto the broken speakers, which electrocuted Nora, effectively super charging her semblance. She was now being restrained by the rest of her team, Weiss, and Ruby. They honestly needed more people to keep her down, but everyone else at the party had began to run once they realized what had happened.

"Let me go! Let me go! Let's see how fast they can run with broken legs!"

Ren was trying his best to be the voice of reason. "Nora, calm down. They're already long gone. Chasing after them will do you no good."

After a few minutes of struggling, Nora managed to break free. To everyone's surprise, she didn't run after the other students. She stood up, looked at herself, and sighed. "Guys, I think I'm going to go change real quick. I'll be back soon to help clean up this mess."

As she walked out, Ruby turned to talk to Weiss. "Hey, if you want to head back to the dorm, go ahead. I know you're tired. I'm gonna stay here and help out."

Weiss looked around at the disarray the cafeteria had been left in. "No, it's fine. I'll stay here and help you clean up."

As they started to walk towards a table to start cleaning, Jaune stopped them. "Hey, you two head back to your room. We can handle this."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah. Besides, it's Ruby's party. It wouldn't be fair to make her clean up, and Weiss, I know Nora dragged you into this... literally. You guys look pretty tired too. Don't worry about any of this. We'll get it taken care of."

This earned nods of approval from both Ren and Pyrrha.

"Thanks, guys. I'll make this up to you somehow." Ruby turned to her partner. "You ready?"

"Yes, I'm ready. Let's go."

On the walk back to the dorm, neither Weiss nor Ruby said anything. They both wanted to, but they couldn't find the right words. It was a very long, awkward trek back to their dorm. The silence was only broken once they set foot in the room.

"Ruby, I think I'm going to take another shower before I go to bed. Somehow I managed to get food and drinks all over me when we were holding Nora down. I'll talk to you tomorrow." Before Ruby could respond, Weiss grabbed a set of clothes and ran to the bathroom.

 _"What was that about? Is she mad at me? Did I say something wrong earlier? You know what? I'll just stay awake until she gets out of the shower."_

In the bathroom, Weiss was having her own thoughts. _"Ugh, I need to talk to Ruby, so why do I just want to hide from her right now? I need to think about our whole... 'situation'. I think it will just have to wait until tomorrow. This has been one hell of a night."_

Ruby was laying on her bed, trying her best to stay awake. _"I wish Weiss would hurry up in there. I can't stay awake for ever."_ Here eyes darted around the room, trying to find something to occupy her until Weiss was out of the bathroom. Then something caught her eye. Tucked between Yang and Blake's makeshift bunk beds, was a copy of Blade Works Ltd., Ruby's favorite weapon magazine.

 _"How have I never noticed that before? Surely Blake and Yang won't mind if I... borrow it. Besides, it's not their kind of read anyway."_ Ruby jumped off of her bed and walked across the room. She grabbed the magazine and started to pull it out. _"Easy, Ruby, you can do this. Take your time. Tease it... tease it..."_ The magazine came free with a loud 'pop'. _"Yes! I knew I could get... it... uh-oh..."_

The magazine seemed to have been more important to the structural integrity of the beds than Ruby had realized, because now Yang's bed had slowly started to slide off of Blake's. _"Oh god. Oh god, oh god, oh god. Stop it, stop it, STOP IT!"_ Despite trying her best to keep it from falling, Yang's bed crashed into the floor, breaking into several pieces in the process.

The only thing Weiss heard from inside the bathroom was a loud crash, followed by a very distressed 'WHY?!' come from Ruby. _"Oh, this is great. What did that girl manage to break this time?"_ The heiress stepped out of the shower, dressed herself, and peeked out of the bathroom door. Her face was instantly full of shock.

Ruby noticed her looking and ran over to her. "Weiss! It wasn't my fault! Well... it was, but it was an accident!"

Weiss came out of the bathroom completely to observe all of the damage. She hung her head and pinched the bridge of her nose. "... Do I even want to know how you managed to do this?"

"I can explain everything! It was an innocent mistake!"

Weiss took in a big breath and closed her eyes. "Okay, start talking."

"Okay! Well, I was waiting on you to get out of the bathroom, but I was super bored. I needed something to keep me awake and I saw the magazine. It was between the bunk beds, but I thought that if I was careful enough it would be okay if I pulled it out. It looked fine at first, but then the bed started to fall. I tried to stop it, but... Oh, man, Yang's going to kill me."

Part of the story had caught Weiss' attention more than the rest. "Why were you waiting on me to get out of the bathroom?"

"Hm? Oh... I wanted to talk to you."

"About what?"

"You know what! I want to talk about what happened on the balcony earlier!"

Weiss looked at the ground. "Ruby, I want to talk about it too, but right now my brain is barely working. I promise we can talk about it tomorrow."

Ruby sat down on her bed and pouted. "... Fine."

Weiss walked to her dresser, pulled out a pen and paper, and started writing something.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm writing a note for your sister. I'm apologizing to her about the bed."

"You shouldn't do that. It was my fault."

"Well, then you can come finish it."

"Um... okay..."

Ruby took the pen from her partner and finished the note that Weiss had started. They both signed it, then Ruby spoke up. "So, I guess I'm going to start cleaning this up. I'll try to be quiet so you can sleep."

Weiss grabbed her by the hand. "Leave it for now. I know you're just as tired as I am. While I don't particularly enjoy having a mess like this in the middle of the floor, leaving it there one night won't hurt."

"If you say so..." Then, something dawned on Ruby. "Wait! Where is Yang going to sleep? We can't make her sleep with Blake. It's not her fault that her bed's broken."

"I guess she would have to sleep in your bed. It seems fair."

"Yeah, I guess you're right..."

After a second, Weiss realized that if Yang slept in her bed, that left Ruby with nowhere to sleep. "Ruby, where do you plan on sleeping?"

"Oh, I didn't think of that. I guess I could make a place on the floor to sleep or something..."

"That's ridiculous. You're sleeping with me tonight. I won't let you sleep on the floor."

This caused Ruby to turn her head away, hiding the blush that was covering it. "Um... Are you sure about that, Weiss?"

"Of course. There's nothing wrong with us sharing a bed for the night."

"But, Weiss... We-"

"Nothing. Wrong. With. It."

"O-Okay."

"Now go get changed. I might be too tired to clean, but I'm not tired enough to let you get in my bed with those clothes on."

Ruby blushed harder. "W-Wow, Weiss... I'm not allowed to have clothes on?"

Weiss' face was now covered by a deep shade of crimson. "T-That's n-not what I meant, you dolt! Change into your pajamas!"

Ruby couldn't stop herself from laughing. "Okay, I'll be right back." Ruby grabbed a set of clothes and walked into the bathroom.

Weiss laid down in her bed and lost herself in her thoughts while she waited for Ruby to change. _"What am I supposed to do after all of this? I kissed her, and she kissed me. Clearly we both want something more out of our relationship than what we have now..."_ The sound of the bathroom door opening shook her out of her thoughts.

"Okay, I changed! Can I go to bed now?"

"Yes." Weiss scooted over in her bed so that she was closer to the wall, providing room for Ruby, who immediately took advantage of it.

"Oh, so comfy... Thanks, Weiss. I really didn't want to sleep on the floor. Y'know, it's weird. For some reason, it almost feels like I'm not sleepy at all anymore!"

"Really?"

"Yup! I don't know why."

"Would you... Would you want to talk about anything?"

"Sure! Like what?"

Weiss turned away from her. "What about... 'that'?"

Ruby was surprised, especially since Weiss had said that she wanted to wait until tomorrow to talk about it. "U-Uh... sure... that's fine..."

"Well, I've been thinking. I like you, Ruby. I like you a lot, and I know you feel the same way about me... I don't think it would be smart for us to rush into anything, so I was trying to figure out where the two of us could go from here. Then, I thought of something... Ruby, would you like to go on a date wit-"

Weiss was interrupted by the loud snoring of the girl next to her. _"That figures... She must have been more tired than she thought. I'll just have to ask her tomorrow."_ Weiss closed her eyes, letting the smell of roses fill her lungs as she slowly fell into a deep slumber.

* * *

 **Another chapter down! Hope everyone likes it! I, uh... I don't really have much to say this time... Aaaaanyway, please follow, favorite, or review! (All of the cool people do all three, just sayin') And thanks to all of you that have already! I'm glad people like the story so far! Thanks for reading, and I'll see you all in the next chapter!**

 **:D**


	7. Bloom

Weiss was woken up by the sounds of birds chirping outside a window, and a continuous stream of sunlight hitting her directly in the face. She was not ready to get up yet. As she rolled over in an attempt to get the light out of her face, she realized that she couldn't move. After looking down, she figured out why. Ruby had managed to wrap herself around Weiss while they slept through the night.

She suddenly remembered what had taken place the previous night. _"So... that really happened. Ruby and I... we... we kissed... twice."_ Weiss began to get nervous, which was the last thing she wanted to happen right now. She was still tired, and she didn't want to think about anything. She managed to roll over without disturbing Ruby, closed her eyes, and tried to go back to sleep. After almost falling asleep, she heard something strange. It sounded like tiny clicking noises and whispers.

*Click*

"Yang, you should sto... aking pictu... Leave the... lone."

*Click*

"Calm down... it will be fi... look at the... ey're so cut..."

*Click*

Weiss rolled over and tried to figure out what the noise was. When she discovered what it was, her face turned solid red, and she was angry. Above her, hanging from Ruby's bed, was Yang, and she was taking pictures of the sleeping pair.

After she took another picture, Yang noticed that Weiss was, in fact, awake. "Uh-Oh."

"What. Are. You. Doing?"

The tone of Weiss' voice and the murderous look she was giving Yang made the blonde's blood run cold. "Uh, I was just taking... pictures..."

"Why?"

"Y-You both looked so cute! I couldn't help myself! I know Blake agrees with me, even if she won't say anything!"

"Whatever. I don't care. Delete them."

Yang shook her head. "No way. Think of this as payment for breaking my bed."

"I didn't break your bed. Your sister did."

"Well, why did you BOTH sign the note you left me then, huh?" Yang had grabbed the piece of paper and started waving it in front of Weiss' face.

The heiress looked away from Yang. "Well... because... I didn't want Ruby to have all of the blame. I thought you would be mad at her."

"No way, I know it was an accident. I couldn't be mad at her over something like that."

"In any case, I want those pictures deleted. Now."

"Or what, exactly?"

Weiss opened her mouth to protest, but Ruby began to stir in her sleep, making the heiress shut her mouth. She was afraid to even breathe, in fear that it would wake her up. After a few moments had passed, she started to whisper-yell at Yang. "We will talk about this later, but I want those pictures gone!"

Yang shrugged. "Whatever you say, princess. Tell you what, let's make a deal. I'll delete every picture that I took... but only if Ruby tells me to."

Weiss rolled her eyes. "Fine, Just don't take anymore, or I'll delete YOU."

"Okay, okay." Yang slowly pulled herself up Ruby's bed until Weiss could no longer see her.

 _"Why would she make that deal? Ruby would just tell her to delete them, right?"_ Her thoughts were interrupted by Ruby moving again, but this time one of her eyes opened.

"... Weiss? What are you doing in my bed?"

"Ruby, do you remember what happened last night?"

"What? Why does that matter?"

"Just try to remember."

"Um, okay? I was at the party with Yang, then people started coming up to me to say hi."

"Do you remember anything else?"

"Oh! I remember you and Blake showing up, but then Yang took Blake off somewhere, and we went outside. I took you to the balcony and... and we..." Ruby's eyes shot wide open as she remembered what happened that night. She looked up at Weiss, then immediately looked away. "... This isn't my bed... is it..."

The older girl shook her head. "No, it's mine."

"Uh... um... I should... WE should... I think..."

"Use your words, dolt."

Ruby swallowed hard and took a deep breath. "We... what are we?"

Weiss was confused. "We're... humans. I don't understand your question."

"No, Weiss. What are we? After last night, I would say that we're definitely something."

"I'm not sure. I actually wanted to talk to you about it last night, but someone fell asleep while I was in the middle of a question."

"I, uh, sorry. I was really tired last night."

"It's okay, we can talk about it later. For now, we have more... pressing matters to talk about."

"Like what?"

Weiss sat up in her bed. "Get down here, Xiao Long. I know you're listening."

Yang slowly slid over the edge of Ruby's bed, so that only the top half of her face was visible. "... Yes?"

"Show her."

"... What are you talking about? I don't have any pictures."

"I never said you had pictures, Yang."

"... Oh." Yang's gaze darted to the side. She did NOT like the feeling she was getting from the stare Weiss was giving her.

"Now show her."

"Okay, fine." Yang hopped off Ruby's bed and landed on the floor with a loud 'thunk'. She made her way to the edge of the bed, sat down, and pulled out her scroll.

Ruby sat up and scooted close to her sister. "Yang, what is this about?"

"I may have taken some pictures... of you and Weiss... while you two were sleeping."

"Yang? Why would you do that? That's an invasion of privacy!"

Yang was shocked. _"She's... mad? I was positive she would be happy about this. At the very least, I thought she would want to see them."_

Ruby aggressively tossed all of the bed's sheets off herself, went to her dresser to get a set of clothes, and stomped to the bathroom, only stopping briefly outside the door to give Yang a cold stare. As she went into the bathroom, she yelled to her sister, "Delete those pictures. I can't imagine Weiss wants them on there anymore than I do." Then she slammed the door shut.

Weiss got up from the bed and stood in front of Yang. "Well, there goes your plan."

Yang just hung her head, still in shock from her sister's response. "Y-Yeah..."

Weiss grabbed some clothes from her dresser and headed towards the door which led to the hallway. "I'm going to see if I can borrow JNPR's bathroom. Blake, will you make sure she gets rid of those pictures?"

Blake was completely engrossed in the book that she was currently reading, only letting out a soft 'mhm' as confirmation that she even heard her.

"Thanks." Weiss walked out of the dorm, shutting the door behind her.

Yang held up her scroll, getting ready to delete the pictures, when the bathroom door flew open. Ruby was standing there, fully dressed, and was looking around the room intensely. "Was that Weiss that I heard leave?"

Yang just nodded her head.

"Did you delete the pictures yet?"

"No, but I was just about t-"

"No! Let me see! Let me see! Let me see!" Ruby ran to the bed and snatched Yang' scroll out of her hands.

The blonde was very, very confused. "I thought you wanted me to delete them?"

"Of course not! Don't you know me at all? I just couldn't say that with Weiss right next to me, I know she would have been angry. I need to see these!"

Yang smiled. _"There's the reaction I was looking for."_

Ruby went wide-eyed as she skimmed through the pictures that Yang had taken. "Wow... She's so cute when she's sleeping..."

Yang was just happy her sister wasn't angry with her.

"Um, sis, I have a favor to ask."

"Okay, shoot."

"Do you think... maybe... you could send these to me?"

"Sure, just don't let Weiss know. I'd rather not feel the Ice Queen's wrath."

"Thanks! Oh, but you should probably take them off your scroll, in case Weiss wants proof that they're gone."

"Good Idea." Yang grabbed her scroll from Ruby, sent her the pictures, then erased them. "Aaaand... done. I sent them in one message so you'll get them all at once, but it could be a while before they actually finish sending." Right after she said that, Weiss walked back into the room.

Ruby stiffened and looked at her sister. "Thanks for getting rid of those, Yang." She finished her sentence with a wink in her sister's direction.

Weiss walked towards the blonde and streched out her hand. "Let me see your scroll."

"Why?"

"Ruby might trust you with something like this, but I want to make sure they're gone."

"Okay, fine." Yang begrudgingly handed her scroll to Weiss.

"Well, I'm pleasantly surprised. Thank you, Yang." She handed the blonde her scroll back, and turned to face Ruby. "So, Ruby, would you like to come to the cafeteria with me?"

"Uh, sure. I could eat."

"Come to think of it, it's kind of late in the morning. They might have some cookies out now."

"COOKIES?!" Before the word left her mouth completely, Ruby was gone. Weiss, Yang, and Blake were left staring at a flurry of rose petals that resembled the shape of a person, which slowly fell to the floor.

Weiss sighed and began to walk out of the dorm. "I'll talk to you two later. I'm going to go make sure she doesn't overload herself on sugar."

However, Yang got up and stopped her. "Wait a second, Weiss. I need to talk to you."

"About what?"

"Oh, I think you know. I want to know what happened last night."

"... Do we have to talk about this now?"

"Now's as good a time as any. I want to hear it from you and my sister separately."

Weiss took a deep breath. "Well if you must know... Ruby and I kissed last night."

Yang stared her down. "Is that all that happened?"

This earned a blush from the heiress. "Of course it is! What kind of person do you think I am?"

The blonde crossed her arms. "I was just making sure you didn't take it too far." Yang's expression softened slightly. "So how are you two handling this?"

"Well... actually... I plan to ask her out on a date."

"Really? What kind of date?"

"I haven't thought that far ahead yet."

"You better think long and hard about this princess. If you hurt my sister," Yang's gaze narrowed and her eyes slowly became red. "Then we're going to have problems."

Weiss had never been on this end of one of Yang's threats. It was intimidating to say the least. "Yang, I would never do anything to hurt Ruby."

"Okay, but if you mess up, if I have to see my sister cry because of something you did, you won't like what happens." After a few moments, her eyes returned to their normal color. "Now, you're free to go."

Without saying a word, Weiss turned around and walked out of the dorm, still shocked at how threatening Yang could be. As Yang watched her leave, she heard Blake's voice behind her.

"Was that really necessary?"

The blonde turned to face her. "Was what necessary?"

"Scaring her like that. I highly doubt she will cause your sister any type of distress."

Yang shrugged and jumped up onto Blake's bed. "Maybe not, but I worry about Ruby. I know Weiss cares about her, I just don't want her getting hurt."

"You can't take it out on Weiss if things dont work out between the two of them."

"We'll see about that when the time comes." Yang sprawled herself out on the bed and stared at the ceiling. "Let's hope it never does."

In the cafeteria, Weiss was having to stand between Ruby and one of the food counters. "Ruby, you can't have any more sweets, that's final."

"C'moooon, Weiss, just a few more!"

"You said the same thing 20 cookies ago! Get some REAL food and go sit down."

Ruby looked into Weiss' eyes and began to pout, putting on her best puppy-dog expression.

"Ruby Rose, don't you even think about it. It's not going to work. Go sit down."

"... Fine." Ruby dejectedly walked to a chair and sat down, letting the top half of her body lay on a table.

 _"Look at her... she's hopeless."_ Weiss grabbed a small plate of cookies and brought them, along with her own food, to the table Ruby was sitting at. She sat the plate down and made eye contact with Ruby. "This is all you get for the rest of the day. You better hope I don't catch you sneaking any."

Ruby's eyes lit up. "Thanks, Weiss!"

After finishing their food, the two remained at the table in silence, with Ruby glancing nervously at Weiss. "Um, Weiss, can I ask you something?"

"Sure."

"... When are we going to talk about what happened last night?"

Weiss had partially hoped she would forget about it. "I guess we could talk now... There's not many people here."

"O-Okay. Soooo... you like me?"

"Yes, I do... I figured that would have been obvious after last night."

"And I like you, right?"

"What? How am I supposed to know that?"

Ruby giggled at how flustered Weiss was getting. "Well, I do. So now you know."

The heiress' face was red. "Dolt."

"So if we both like each other... and we... y'know... does that meant we're... a 'thing'?"

Weiss looked down at the table. "I don't think it's official until we go on a date."

"Oh... okay."

"Do you want to?"

"What?"

"Do you want to... go on a date?"

The question caught Ruby off guard. She was sure she would have had to be the one to ask Weiss, not the other way around. After she composed herself, she answered. "Of course! I would love to go on a date with you!"

"Okay then. What would you like to do?"

Ruby smiled. "Surprise me. I don't care what we do, as long as you're there."

Before Weiss could say anything else, Ruby stood up and started to make her way out of the cafeteria.

 _"Ugh, what am I supposed to do? I suppose I could talk to Yang about this. At least that way she would know that I'm actually putting effort into it."_ She stood up from the table and started to head towards the dorm, until she noticed Ruby had left her scroll in the cafeteria. _"She really is hopeless..."_

She picked it up and started to slide it into her pocket, when it beeped. _"What was that?"_ She pulled it up and looked at it.

NEW MULTIMEDIA MESSAGE  
FROM: YANG  
27 NEW PICTURES

 _"Oh, I hope for their sakes that this isn't what I think it is."_ Weiss opened the message and, sure enough, there was every picture that Yang had taken of the sleeping pair. _"So they like sending pictures to each other, huh? Let's see how they like it when someone else sends them a picture."_

Back at the dorm, Ruby and Yang were talking about the previous night.

"So, all you two did was kiss?"

"Yes, Yang. That's it."

"Okay... I guess I'll quit grilling you now."

"Thank you. Oh, I forgot to tell you. Weiss asked me out!"

"Why didn't you bring that up a second ago?"

"Well it didn't happen until today. She asked me while we were in the cafeteria."

"What did she say?"

Before Ruby could answer, Yang's scroll beeped. "Oh, Weiss sent me a message."

"What does it say?"

"It's a picture message... Oh no."

"What is it?"

Yang slowly turned her scroll around so Ruby could see it. It was a picture of Weiss holding Ruby's scroll, with one of the pictures Yang took that morning displayed on it. Below it was a text message.

WEISS: I want an explanation. You have until I get back to the dorm to prepare yourselves. Good luck figuring out how close I am when I decide to send this.

"Ruby! How could you let her get your scroll?!"

"I must have left it at the cafeteria! What do we do?!"

"Um... RUN! WE RUN!"

Yang bolted out of the room with Ruby quickly following her. As Ruby ran into the hallway, a hand grabbed her hood, stopping her in her tracks. Ruby turned around, only to see piercing blue eyes, which filled her with fear. She turned to scream at her sister. "Yang! Help me!"

"Sorry, sis! You're on your own! I'm getting out of here! I'll never forget you!" The last Ruby saw of her sister was her blonde hair disappearing behind a wall as Yang turned and ran down another hallway. All she could do was stare at where her sister once was, dreading to turn around and face Weiss.

"Ruby."

"... Y-Yes, We-Weiss?"

"I think we need to have a little... chat."

"About what, exactly?"

"Just get in the room."

"O-Okay."

Ruby walked back into the dorm with Weiss still holding onto her hood, keeping her from running away. As they walked in, Weiss noticed Blake was still sitting in her bed, reading.

"Blake, I hate to ask you to leave, but do you think I could talk to Ruby alone?"

The faunus shut her book and stood up. "Sure. I'll be in the library." As she walked by her two teammates, Ruby gave her a looked that screamed 'SAVE ME', which made her smile. "I'll see you two later." She walked out of the dorm and shut the door.

"Now, care to explain these?" Weiss pulled out Ruby's scroll and showed her the pictures.

"Uh..."

"I don't have all day."

Ruby was trembling. She didn't know how mad Weiss was, and she was worried she had messed things up between the two of them before their relationship had even started. "I... I..." Ruby sank onto the floor and tears began to form. "I-I'm sorry, Weiss. I never wanted Yang to delete the pictures. I only told her to because I knew you would want them gone."

Weiss placed her hands on her hips. "Okay, but why were they on your scroll and not Yang's?"

"Because... I asked her to send them to me..."

"Why?"

"... I thought they were cute... I thought WE were cute..."

Weiss' face softened, and she knelt down beside her leader. "What did you say?"

"I thought we were cute... together like that."

"Why didn't you just say that earlier?"

"I thought you would be mad at me if I didn't want her to delete them, and I didn't want to screw things up between us..."

"You dolt. I might have been... slightly upset, but not mad."

Ruby looked up at her. She still had tears in her eyes. "Are... Are you mad now?"

Weiss looked at Ruby, seeing the tears of concern trailing down her face. She let out a long sigh and pulled her into a hug, much to Ruby's surprise. "How can I be mad when you look like that?"

The younger girl quickly returned the hug. "Thanks, Weiss. I'm sorry. I won't ever do anything like this ever again. I promise."

"Calm down, it's alright. Besides," Weiss looked away, a blush slowly creeping up her face. "Your reason for keeping them is... kind of sweet."

Ruby perked up immediately. "So, you're really not mad?"

"No, I'm not mad."

"Good, I was really scared... Did you look at the pictures when you had my scroll?"

"Only the one that I sent to Yang."

"... Do you want to see the rest?"

Weiss looked around, trying to make sure it really was just her and Ruby in the room. "... Sure. Show me..."

"Okay!"

As Ruby showed Weiss the pictures, Yang and Blake had met up, and were standing outside the door of Team RWBY's dorm.

"Y'know, Blake, I think we did a pretty good job, if I do say so myself."

"It does seem that way, doesn't it. They seem to be... happy."

"Yup, and it was aaaall us."

"Well, they did contribute a lot themselves."

"Aaaall us."

Blake rolled her eyes. "Whatever. I'm going back to the library. I'll talk to you later."

"Okay, see you later, kitty cat."

Blake stopped in her tracks and turned to face the blonde. "Don't."

"Don't... what?"

"Just. Don't."

Yang scratched the back of her head. "Hehe, sorry."

Blake turned back around and started walking towards the library.

 _"Man, I don't think that will ever get old."_

That night, the team was picking up the remains of Yang's bed.

"Guys, you really don't have to help me with this. It's my fault that this happened in the first place."

"It's okay, Ruby. I know it was an accident and it wouldn't be fair to make you clean this up by yourself."

"Thanks, Yang. You too Blake, and you, Weiss."

After a few moments of silence passed, Blake spoke up. "So, Yang, did you talk to anyone about your bed?"

"Yeah, they said I probably wouldn't be able to get one for a few days. It really sucks. I don't want to take Ruby's bed from her."

Weiss replied almost instantly without meaning to. The words just came out of her mouth, almost instinctively. "Don't worry about that. Ruby can just sleep with me until then."

Everyone in the room turned to look at her. Yang was the only one who was able to talk. "... What?"

Weiss started blushing, realizing what she had just said. "I mean, it's not fair to make you sleep anywhere else. I don't mind sharing a bed with her. Besides, putting two people on that hanging death trap could be disastrous."

Yang looked at Weiss, then Ruby. "Ruby, what do you think?"

"I'm fine with it! It felt nice... sleeping with you last time, Weiss."

"Whoa, no more details please!"

Now Ruby had a shade of red covering her face. "Shut up, Yang. That's not what I meant!"

Yang grinned. "Relax, I was just messing with you."

Silence filled the room as they finished cleaning up the last bit of the splintered bed.

Yang stood up, stretched her arms and back, and jumped up onto Ruby's bed. "Well, that's done. I'm ready to go to sleep. G'night, you three!"

Blake spoke up after Yang. "Actually, I think I'm heading back to the library. I'm not quite ready for bed yet. I'll see you all later." She stepped out of the room and shut the door.

Ruby turned to face Weiss. "What about you?"

"I'm actually pretty tired. Sleep sounds like a good plan right now."

"Okay. I'm kind of tired too. I'm going to go change real quick." Ruby grabbed a set of clothes and walked into the bathroom.

Weiss was wondering how long she would be in there, and if she had time to change before Ruby came back out. Then she remembered Yang was still there. "Yang, are you asleep?" Her question was answered with a long, drawn out snore coming from the blonde. "I'll take that as a yes."

She grabbed some clothes and began getting undressed. She threw on her clothes as fast as she could, her pajama pants being the only piece of clothing left. As she bent down to pull them up, the bathroom door opened.

"Um... Weiss?"

"Ruby! I thought you would be in there longer!"

"Sorry, I got changed pretty quick..."

Weiss yanked her pants up, got into her bed, and threw the covers over herself. "You weren't supposed to see me!"

"Well... I saw more than that when you were getting ready for the party..."

"You're not helping!"

"Sorry..." Ruby walked over to Weiss' bed and sat down. "... Can I still sleep with you?"

"...Yes."

"Thanks, Weiss." Ruby pulled the sheets back and slid into the bed. "I'm sorry I walked in on you."

"...Don't apologize. I should have waited for you to finish changing instead. This is my fault."

The two laid there in silence, until Weiss broke it. "... Ruby?"

"What?"

"I have a question about the... date..."

"What?"

"What do you mean 'what'?"

"What? Weiss I can't hear you with that blanket over your face."

The heiress slowly pulled that covers off of her face. It was still red from what had happened earlier. "I have a question about the date."

"Oh, okay. What is it?"

"H... How would you feel about going out to dinner somewhere, and then maybe to a movie?"

"That sounds great! I told you, I don't care, as long as it's a date with you."

Weiss slowly started sinking beneath the sheets again to hide the redness on her face.

"Oh, don't do that. Come out from under there!"

"So... When would be the best time for us to go?"

"I haven't got anything going on for the next few days. Ozpin is letting me wait a little while before I start classes again. So as long as we do it before then, it'll be fine."

"Okay."

After a second, Ruby let out a humongous yawn. "Weiss, I would like to stay awake and talk, but I know I'm tired this time."

"Go to sleep then, you dolt. Don't stay awake just for me. I'll be asleep soon anyway."

A few moments passed, and Ruby rolled over slightly to face Weiss. "Can I say something before we go to sleep?"

"Sure."

Ruby started smirking. "Your butt is really cu-"

"Ruby!"

"Sorry! Sorry! Going to sleep now!"

Ruby quickly shut her eyes, and rolled over. Weiss did the same, but after a few minutes she felt Ruby roll back over and slowly wrap her arms around her.

"... What are you doing?"

"Oh, I'm sorry. I thought you would be asleep by now." Ruby began to pull her arms back, but Weiss grabbed her hands.

"... It's okay... I don't mind."

Ruby smiled and let Weiss pull her arms back around her.

"Goodnight, Weiss."

"Goodnight, Ruby."

* * *

 **Back again with another chapter! I wasn't sure I was going to have this up when I actually wanted to post it, but I made it. Phew. Anyways, please follow, favorite, and review! It lets me know that there are people are out there who are interested in my story and want me to keep going! See y'all in the next chapter!**

 **:D**


	8. Date Night

Weiss was currently getting herself ready for her date with Ruby. It was somewhat difficult, due to Yang constantly asking her questions about it.

"So what are you two going to do?"

"We're to go to a movie."

"What happened to dinner?"

"We decided against that for the time being."

"Why?"

"I would rather not talk about it right now."

"Okay, so what movie are you two going to see?"

"It's a romantic movie, if you must know."

"What are you doing after that?"

"I don't know. We'll probably just come back to the dorm."

"And then?"

"And then, I'll starting plotting your demise, unless you stop asking so many questions."

"Okay, sorry. I'm just so excited for you two!"

Weiss was looking over herself in a mirror, making sure she was happy with her outfit. "I wish I shared your excitement."

"How could you not? I figured you'd be happy."

The heiress turned and walked towards her bed. "I am happy, but I'm also extremely nervous about this whole thing."

"Why?"

"Well... I've never done this before..."

Yang walked over and sat down beside Weiss. "Done what? Taken a girl on a date?"

Weiss' gaze shifted to the floor. "Not exactly... It's more like I've never taken... _anyone_... on a date before."

This surprised Yang to some extent. "Really? I figured you would have been on a couple, at least."

"Well, I haven't, and I don't really want to talk about it."

"Alright, fair enough." Yang threw an arm around Weiss' shoulders. "But don't worry about this. Ruby isn't exactly the hardest person to please. I'm sure you will do fine."

Weiss slowly removed Yang's arm from around her. "I appreciate that, Yang, but I'm surprised you are so accepting of this whole thing."

"Hey, whoever Ruby chooses to date doesn't bother me. As long as she's happy, I'm happy. I don't care about gender or anything like that."

"Well... it's not so much the gender thing I was referring to, it was the whole... 'me'... thing."

Yang stood up and turned to face the heiress. "The same principle still applies. As long as Ruby's happy, I will be. I won't have any problems with you two, as long as you don't hurt her."

"I have no plans of hurting your sister."

"I know. You seem to actually care for her from what I've seen, and I know she feels the same about you. Just try to keep it that way."

After their conversation was over, Ruby came bursting into the room holding something under her arm. She slammed the door shut and leaned against it, breathing heavily.

It took a second for Weiss' confusion to wear off. "Ruby, what are you doing?"

"I... just... got... wait... give... me a... second..." After catching her breath, Ruby continued what she had been saying. "I managed to get the rest of the cookies from the cafeteria, but Nora saw me. Apparently, she wanted some too. Y'know, she's a lot faster than you would think." She let herself lean into the door further, slowly sliding down it until she was sitting on the floor.

Weiss made her way over to her leader. "Ruby, I have a favor to ask."

"Sure thing, Weiss. What is it?"

"Could you not eat any of those until we get back?"

"What?! C'mon, I _just_ got these!"

"I'm sorry, but I would rather not have all that sugar coursing through you while we're out tonight."

Ruby sat up straight, crossed her legs, and pouted. "Please, Weiss? Just a couple?"

"Ruby, no."

"Pleeeeease?" Ruby looked at her with her best puppy-dog eyes.

Weiss began to panic. _"No, not those eyes. Wait... are they... starting to work on me?"_ She looked into Ruby's pleading eyes once more, and broke. "Fine. You can have three, and ONLY three. I'll be counting."

"Only three?"

"Take it or leave it."

"Okay, fine."

Ruby inhaled her cookies and stood up. "Okay, all I need to do is change, then I'll be ready for tonight." As she walked towards the bathroom with a set of clothes tucked under her arm, she handed the plate of cookies to Yang. "Guard these with your life."

"You got it, sis." She took the plate and set it on a table next to the door.

As Ruby shut the bathroom door behind her, someone started knocking on the dorm room's door.

"It's open!"

The door opened and Nora peeked her head into the room. "Hey have you guys seen Ru... by..." As she finished her question, Nora had seen the plate of cookies by the door. "Jackpot!" As she picked the plate up, Yang walked over to her and crossed her arms.

"Nora, those are Ruby's, and I'm gonna have to ask you to put them back down."

The orange-haired girl looked to the plate of cookies in her hand, then to Yang, then back to the cookies. She straightened her back and cleared her throat. "... No." Then, she ran.

"Nora, get back here!" Yang chased after her, stopping just before she exited the room. "Good luck on your date, Weiss." Then she disappeared into the hallway.

Weiss stood there in shock, trying to wrap her head around the fact that people were willing to go this far for a plate of cookies. She snapped out of her thoughts when she heard a muffled voice come from the bathroom.

"Yang, was that Nora?"

"She's gone, Ruby. She is in the process of chasing Nora down. She came by and, well..."

"She got them, didn't she?"

"Yes, she did." After saying that, Weiss heard a frustrated sigh come from inside the bathroom.

"... Well, if she doesn't catch her, then Yang is going to owe me some more."

"Ruby, I don't mean to change the subject, but will you be ready soon? I would rather not miss the movie."

"Yep! I'm actually done now!"

The bathroom door opened and out stepped Ruby. She was wearing a black t-shirt with a red rose emblem in the center of it. She also had on a pair of black jeans, and her signature pair of black and red combat boots.

Weiss was slightly caught off guard. She had expected Ruby to dress casually, as she herself was, but she was surprised by her hair. Ruby had pulled it back into a ponytail, which normally isn't anything special, but it caught Weiss' attention. It really showed off Ruby's facial features that were normally hidden from view.

Her subtle cheekbones, the structure around her eyes, and her eye's themselves. Weiss almost lost herself in the bright, silver orbs. The heiress knew that her partner was, well, attractive, but only now did she realize just how beautiful she actually was.

"Wow... You look great, Ruby."

"Um... Thanks, Weiss, but I'm not really wearing anything special."

"... Well... it looks good, and I've never seen you with your hair pulled back before."

"Oh yeah, I forgot! I didn't have long hair when I left, did I?"

"No, you didn't. It... looks really good like that."

"Thanks, I might do it more often if you think it looks good..."

Weiss turned and walked towards the center of the room, facing the door and hiding her face. "So, are you ready to go?"

"Yup! Let's get this show on the road!"

Weiss opened the door and let Ruby walk out first, exiting after her and shutting the door behind them.

"So, what time does the movie start?"

"It starts in roughly thirty minutes. We can make it if we get on the next ship that goes to town."

"Got it. When does the next ship leave?"

Weiss pulled out her scroll and checked the time. "It leaves in... 3 minutes."

The pair traded worried glances.

"Great, there's no way that we're going to make it."

"Weiss... I have an idea, but you might not like it."

"Well, what is it?"

Ruby walked over to Weiss and picked her up. "Well, here's the first part..."

"What are you doing?! Why is this necessary?!"

"Just hold on tight."

Ruby firmly planted her feet on the ground and hunched over slightly. Then, she pushed herself forward, leaving nothing but a trail of rose petals behind her.

It happened so fast that Weiss wasn't exactly sure what Ruby had just done. It slowly dawned on her that Ruby was using her semblance. Everything around her began to turn into a blur. Everything, that is, except for Ruby. Weiss looked at the younger girl in wonder.

 _"I knew her semblance made her fast, but this is ridiculous. Just how much did she train while she was gone?"_

Before Weiss could think of anything else, the pair came to an abrupt stop. As she looked around, she realized that Ruby had made it from the hallway outside of their dorm, down several staircases, across Beacon's courtyard, to the airship docks, and into the ship in less than thirty seconds.

Ruby gently set Weiss down, the heiress still in shock. "Well, we made it."

"Ru-Ruby... How did you..."

"Uncle Qrow trained me while I was with him on the mission. He taught me how to focus my aura, to use less of it and get more out of it. All he wanted to teach me was a little aura management, but there was a small... side effect."

"Which was... what exactly?"

Ruby crossed her arms and grinned. "It made my semblance super awesome."

"Yeah, no kidding..."

After a few seconds passed, Ruby stumbled to a chair and plopped down into it, holding her head.

Weiss noticed and rushed to the seat next to her. "Ruby, are you okay?"

Ruby waved her hand reassuringly. "yeah i'll be fine. It's just... sometimes there are drawbacks to using my speed like that."

"What kind of drawbacks?"

"Nothing too serious. Whenever I use my semblance for too long, or if I go too fast, it takes a small toll on me. So far, I haven't gotten anything except a bad headache or a small wave of nausea. Sometimes it goes away in a few minutes, sometimes a few hours."

Weiss' worry was replaced by annoyance. "You dolt, why would you put yourself through that for something like this?"

"Well, it was important to me. I thought it was okay to push myself a little bit."

"We could have gone to a movie some other time. You didn't need to do that."

"I'm sorry, Weiss. I just really wanted this night to go well. I guess it's too late for that now though, since you're mad at me."

Weiss, sighed and closed her eyes. "Ruby, I'm not mad. I'm just... annoyed. I don't want you to strain yourself like this over something as simple as a movie."

"Okay... do you still want to go to the movie?"

"Well, that depends. Do you actually feel like going now? You look... sick."

"I should be fine, I just need some time." As soon as she finished her sentence, Ruby lurched forward, grabbed a bag from underneath her chair and emptied the contents of her stomach into it.

"Ruby, we're going back to the dorm. Now. Before the ship takes off and you're stuck on here."

"N-No, it's fine. I'l be okay." Ruby stood up, immediately lost her balance and fell into her chair.

Weiss hoisted Ruby out of her seat and forced the taller girl's arm over her shoulders. "C'mon, you dolt. Don't be stubborn."

"Weiss, I'm sorry. I screwed everything up."

The heiress rolled her eyes. "Don't worry about that right now, let's just get you back to our room."

Weiss helped Ruby off of the ship, half-carried her into beacon's courtyard, and set her down on a stone bench which was in front of a fountain.

"I can't carry you all the way up to the dorm, so I'll sit here with you until you recover."

Ruby turned and faced her partner. "Weiss, I can't say I'm sorry enough. I ruined the whole night."

"Ruby, this night is far from ruined. We might not have our date anymore, but sitting here with you, in front of this fountain, just... listening to the water... It's nice."

"I'll make this up to you, I promise."

"You don't need to do that."

"That doesn't mean I'm not going to try."

"You are so stubborn sometimes."

Ruby grinned and reached her arm around Weiss. "Yup, but you knew what you were getting into."

"Yes, I did."

The pair stared at the fountain in front of them, listening to the stream of water collide wth the clear pool at the base, and felt the slight coolness of the breeze that blew over the surface of it. They lost track of time. It had to have been at least an hour. They were perfectly content sitting in silence, just being close to each other, until Ruby spoke.

"... Weiss?"

"Hm?"

"Thank you."

"For what?"

"For not making me go to the movie and for sitting here with me until I felt better."

"Speaking of which, how do you feel now?"

Ruby sat up and took a deep breath. "Now that you mention it, I do feel a lot better. I suppose we could head back up to the dorm now."

As she started to get up from the bench, Weiss grabbed her by the arm. "Actually, Ruby, if you don't mind, do you think we could... stay here a little while longer?"

Ruby smiled and sat back down. "Sure."

"Thanks, Ruby."

"No problem."

Ruby once again placed her arm over Weiss, but this time, the heiress leaned into it, nuzzling her head into Ruby's neck, bending her knees up, and placing her legs on the bench. After she got comfortable, Weiss closed her eyes.

The younger girl began to feel a warmth radiate from her face. Was Weiss trying to... _cuddle?_ Weiss. Weiss Schnee. The person that loathed physical contact more than anyone that Ruby had ever met.

As Ruby looked down at her, she realized her eyes were closed.

"Weiss."

"Hm?"

"It's getting late. I think we should go inside."

"Mm-mm."

"C'mon, I'm tired, you're _obviously_ tired, let's go."

Weiss grabbed ahold of ruby's cape and shook her head. "Mm-mm!"

 _"I've never seen this side of her before. Oh my god, she's adorable."_ Ruby gently pried Weiss' arms off of her, much to the heiress' dismay.

Weiss reached up and tried to pull Ruby back down, but Ruby stopped her. "Hang on a second." Ruby situated her clothing, as it had gotten messed up by Weiss' tugging on it, and bent down.

She slowly picked up Weiss, holding her bridal style.

"R-Ruby, what are you doing?"

"Calm down, Weiss, we're going back to the dorm."

"I am perfectly capable of walking!"

"Well, you didn't seem like you wanted to get up."

"Put me down!"

"Okay, fine."

Ruby placed her on the ground and stood there, looking at her.

"Thank you."

"So, now can we go up to the dorm?"

"Yes."

Before they started making their way to their room, an idea popped up in Ruby's head. "Okay, great! I'll race you there!"

"Wait, you'll wha-" Before Weiss finished her sentence, Ruby was gone. _"Oh, you are in for it, missy."_

Ruby rushed up to the room, making sure to not push herself too far like last time. As she ran into the room, she saw Yang in her bed, and Blake in her own.

"Guys, I need a huge favor!"

"Ruby, aren't you supposed to be on your date?"

"No time to explain! Will you guys help me?"

The blonde and the faunus exchanged looks.

"... Sure."

"You got it, sis. What's up?"

* * *

 _"Of course she would make me walk back alone. This is easily a ten minute walk at least, one that she probably made in a minute. She is going to get a mouthful when I get up there. Why the hell did she just take off like that?"_

Weiss walked across Beacon's walkways, up the stairs, and finally made it to the dorm rooms.

 _"Okay, home stretch. You better be ready to explain yourself, Ruby."_

As she walked closer to the door, she heard a lot of movement and jumbled voices coming from the other side.

 _"What are they doing in there?"_

She slowly turned the doorknob, which was immediately noticed by Ruby, as Weiss heard her voice, loud and clear.

"Yang! The door!"

"I'm on it!"

As Weiss began to open the door, it was immediately shut on her.

"Sorry, Weiss, can't let you do that yet."

"What? Let me in, you brute!"

"Hey! Name-calling will get you nowhere, princess."

"Shut up and open the door!"

"Nope!"

"Why not?"

"You'll find out in a minute."

More noise. The sounds of things being moved around, muffled voices, that's all that Weiss could make out, until all of the noise stopped and Ruby spoke.

"Thanks, guys. I couldn't have done this without you."

"You're welcome, Ruby."

"Don't mention it! We'll be around if you need anything."

Yang opened the door, but only as far as she needed for her and Blake to slip through, then she shut it again and looked at Weiss.

"You better appreciate this."

"What?"

"Find out for yourself, and don't worry. Me and Blake will leave you two alone for tonight. The room is yours."

Yang turned and began walking away, Blake following her.

 _"What was that about?"_

The heiress slowly opened the door and stepped inside.

The curtains were drawn and Weiss' bed had been dragged into the middle of the room and turned sideways. Behind the bed, there was, what appeared to be, a projector of some sort, aimed at the wall in front of it, which had been stripped bare of all the posters and pictures that were on it previously.

"Ruby, what is all this?"

"Weiss Schnee, welcome... to Date Night."

"... What?"

Ruby crossed her arms behind her back and began lightly kicking at the floor with one foot. "I know I messed up our date earlier, so this is me trying to fix it. We have movies, we have food, we have drinks, everything that I thought we would need."

 _"So, this is why she ran up here so fast... That's... sweet."_

"I hope you're not mad at me..."

"Well, to tell you the truth, I was mad. Honestly, I still am a little bit, but... I guess I can forgive you after seeing this."

"Really?"

"Really."

Ruby ran over and scooped Weiss up in a hug. "Thanks, Weiss!"

"You're welcome, now put me down! Again!"

"Hehe, sorry."

"What is it with you and your obsession of not letting my feet touch the ground?"

"Sorry, I just get really happy when I'm around you. I can't help myself."

Weiss sighed. "... Okay. So, what are we doing?"

"Well, I have a few movies for you to choose from. We can watch one of them , or watch them all. Plus, I borrowed Yang's projector."

"Yang has one of those things?"

"Yup! She didn't think that I knew about it, but she was fine with letting me borrow it for tonight."

"How did you even think of this?"

"I had the idea for it when we started heading back up here from the courtyard."

"Ruby... Thank you. No one's ever done something like this for me before."

"Well, you deserve it. You're a great partner, a great friend, and a great gir-" Ruby stopped herself.

Weiss crossed her arms and raised one eyebrow. "A great... what?"

"N-Nothing, don't worry about it. Now c'mon! Pick a movie!"

"Okay."

Weiss skimmed through the movies that Ruby had selected. Most of them seemed like over-the-top, non-stop action. Something Weiss was not fond of. However, one of them stuck out to her.

 _"The White Rose. It seems romantic and maybe has a little bit of humor in it. This could be... interesting."_ Weiss picked the movie up and held it out to Ruby. "How about this one?"

"That's fine with me! Give it here, I'll set it up. Sit down and get comfortable."

Weiss sat down on her bed while Ruby set the movie up to display on the projector.

"Okay... just have to connect this here... plug that there... done!"

Ruby pushed a button on the projector and the movie started playing.

"Well, I know we're still in the dorm, but is this good enough for a date?"

"Ruby, this is already ten times better than the date I had planned."

"C'mon, you're exaggerating."

"I don't think so. This is great. Thank you, Ruby. Really."

Ruby began to blush. "Um... Y-You're welcome."

Weiss was watching the movie, but slowly regretting her choice. While it did have romance, it was far more... intimate than she had imagined.

Ruby was having the same thoughts as her. "Well, this is awkward. Are you sure you want to keep watching?"

"Y-Yes, I'm sure. Other than... this... I'm actually enjoying the movie."

"Okay. I just thought I'd ask."

While it was slightly embarrassing, the movie also made Weiss think. _"Why is my face so hot right now? It couldn't be this movie... could it? And why am I thinking of Ruby so hard?"_

She looked over to Ruby. She had a deep shade of red on her face, but she was concentrating on the screen, afraid to even look in Weiss' direction.

The intimate scene was over fairly quickly, much to the relief of both girls. Especially Ruby, who let out a long sigh after it was done.

"Are you okay, Ruby?"

"Huh? Y-yeah, I'm fine. I just didn't expect... _that._ "

"Me either."

The two slowly and unconsciously scooted closer together as the movie played. Before long, Ruby had realized how close they actually were and put an arm around Weiss. A gesture which the heiress accepted quickly as she leaned into the taller girl.

"Ruby, I just want to say thank you again. This has been great so far."

"You're welcome, Weiss. I'm glad you like it."

The two girls remained silent, waiting to see what would happen next in the movie. Then, it happened. The same thing that happens in all romance movies. The couple had their big, climactic, romantic kiss.

Weiss slowly sat up straight. Mostly to stretch her neck, but partly because something was eating at her. She looked to Ruby.

Ruby had already been looking at her. Their gazes met. Silver eyes studied blue ones. Their faces inched closer and closer. It seemed like it was taking hours.

Weiss' heart was beating faster than ever before. _"Am I going to kiss her?"_

Ruby's mind was racing just as fast as the heiress' heart. _"Is she going to kiss me?"_

The gap between their faces almost wasn't measurable. They could feel each other's breath. Their eyes began to shut as they closed the space between them.

Their lips collided.

It wasn't like the kiss that they had shared on the balcony. This was different. It wasn't out of the blue. It wasn't unexpected. It was perfect.

Weiss felt electricity course through her. It was like nothing that she had ever felt before. It was incredible. She lost herself. She didn't care about anything else in the world. Right now, Ruby _was_ her world.

Ruby slowly brought her hand up and cradled Weiss' face, as Weiss ran her hands through Ruby's hair, undoing the ponytail that it was in, allowing her hands to flow freely through the dark, crimson locks.

They broke apart only briefly, as their need for oxygen was becoming apparent. While catching their breath, they stared at each other, almost having a conversation entirely with their eyes.

 _ **"Again?"**_

 _ **"Again."**_

Ruby pulled Weiss to her, their lips coming together once more. Ruby let her hands drop down to Weiss' waist, picking the smaller girl up slightly and laying her on her back. An act which the heiress showed no resistance to.

Weiss threw her hand around Ruby's torso, pulling their bodies together. Neither one of them wanted it to end. They wanted to stay this way, forever. Then, Weiss felt something against her lips that made her freeze.

It was Ruby's tongue.

"Mmm... Ruby, wait..."

"What? What is it? Did I do something wrong? I'm sorry! I didn't mean to!"

"Calm down, you didn't do anything wrong. That was... well, that was great."

"... Really?"

"Yes, but..."

"But?"

"But I don't want us to get carried away."

"O-Okay. I understand."

"Thank you. I just think we should take this whole thing slow."

Ruby let out a sigh. "You're right. You're always right."

"I know it's asking a lot, but I think it's for the best that way."

"I agree with you, I guess I just... got lost in the moment."

"You weren't the only one, believe me."

The two sat up in the bed and let their eyes drift downward.

"Soooo, what now?"

"How about we go to sleep? It's pretty late now."

"What about your bed? We still need to move it back."

"It can wait until tomorrow."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes. Frankly, I'm just too tired to do it right now."

"Okay, if you're sure. I guess I'm going to go change real quick." Ruby went to get off of the bed, but Weiss stopped her.

"Wait."

"Hm?"

"Just... this ONE time, you can sleep in my bed without changing. That is, if you're too tired to."

"Wow, Weiss. Leaving the dorm unorganized _and_ sleeping in something that's not sleepwear? I must be rubbing off on you."

"Be quiet, you dolt, or I _will_ make you change."

"Okay, sorry."

The pair got under the blankets and turned to face each other.

"So... Weiss..."

"What?"

"Does this count as a date?"

"Yes. Why?"

"Well, does that mean... we're officially... dating?"

The heiress smiled. "I suppose it does."

Ruby grinned and pulled Weiss close to her. "Thank you! Does this mean I can call you my girlfriend now?"

"Only within the privacy of our team. We will need to tell everyone else first."

"Good enough for me!"

Weiss leaned into Ruby's embrace, letting her face rest between her girlfriend's neck and shoulder.

Ruby simply placed her chin on top of Weiss' head as she went to sleep, content with knowing that Weiss was hers, and nothing else mattered.

* * *

 **Hey all! Sorry this is out a little later than normal, but, to put it simply, I was distracted. Still, I got it out and I hope everyone likes it! Please follow, favorite, and review! I'll see you guys in the next one!**

 **:D**


	9. The Mission

"Wake up, you dolt! You have classes today!"

"Uh-uh."

Weiss clenched her teeth. She had been trying to get Ruby out of bed for thirty minutes and she wasn't making any headway.

"Ruby! Get up!"

Weiss tried to yank the bed sheets off of her, but failed as the younger girl pulled them back, wrapping herself up in them several times.

"I don't wanna."

"Fine, but I'm not going to class until you do. That means that I will miss class too, and it will be on your conscience."

Ruby rolled over and stared at her girlfriend with half-lidded eyes. "C'mon, I've only been back for a few days. I'm still trying to relax."

"A few days? You've been back for almost a week!"

"Well..."

"No excuses. Get out of bed." Weiss stood back and placed her hands on her hips. "I'm going to the bathroom. If you're not up by the time I get back out, I will think of some way to punish you."

Ruby smirked. "Is that a threat or a promise?"

A blush was starting to cover the heiress' face. "B-Be quiet and get moving. I'll be back in a minute." She grabbed her uniform and made her way to the bathroom.

The pair had been dating for a few days now and they had finally gotten around to telling everyone about their relationship. No one was surprised. In fact, most people had assumed that they were dating already. The most intense reaction they received was Nora's. When she found out about the new couple, she grappled them into a hug with strength that rivaled Yang's.

The bathroom door opened and Weiss looked to her bed. To her surprise, Ruby was gone. As she stepped out of the bathroom, she figured out where she was.

She was thrown down as a sheet-clad Ruby tackled her to the floor.

"Weeeiiiisss!"

"Ruby what are you doing?!"

"I got out of bed, but then I was bored, so I decided to surprise you."

"Well, you succeeded. Now get off of me."

Ruby noticed a hint of anger and annoyance in her girlfriend's voice. "I'm sorry, Weiss."

She started planting short, apologetic kisses onto Weiss in between each 'sorry'. While the heiress didn't mind, she still needed to go to class. She tried to get up, but Ruby held her down, still kissing her. She started by placing kisses on her lips, then her cheeks, then made her way to her ear. After that, she reached Weiss' neck. Suddenly, the older girl stopped struggling. Ruby kept kissing her neck, with her lips slowly making their way downward until they made it to Weiss collarbone.

"Ruby..."

"... _Yes?_ " Ruby whispered seductively.

Weiss couldn't form words.

"What's wrong, Weiss? Grimm got your tongue?"

"Ruby, w-we have... class..." It was becoming very difficult for Weiss to talk under Ruby's unrelenting attack.

"Is it that important to you? Wouldn't you rather stay here with me, and do _this_?" Ruby started sucking on her girlfriend's neck, occasionally grazing her teeth over it.

"... R-Ruby..."

The taller girl sat up and locked eyes with her. "Hm?"

"You know I would love to stay in the dorm with you, but we really should go to class."

Ruby let out a long sigh. "Yeah, I know. I guess I'll get ready." She got off of Weiss and headed into the bathroom.

Weiss stood up and straightened her uniform. _"That girl, I swear..."_ She brought her hand up to the place on her neck where her girlfriend had given the most attention. To her surprise, it was tender and hurt slightly when she applied pressure to it. _"Oh, she better not have done what I think she did."_

She walked to a mirror and turned her head to look at her neck. Right where Ruby had been extraaffectionate was a red mark, which seemed to be slowly turning purple.

"Ruby Rose! You come out of that bathroom this instant!"

A muffled reply was heard from the other side of the door. "Weiss, I'm not done getting ready. I'll be out in a minute."

"Make it fast!"

"Jeez, okay, _Mom_."

The door opened and Ruby stepped out. She looked to her partner and saw her standing with her arms crossed, her eyes forming a glare. She let her arms drop and shot a finger to the slowly forming bruise.

"Look what you did!"

Ruby's eyes widened in surprise. "Oh, wow, I guess I got carried away. I'm sorry, Weiss."

"How could you be so careless? I can't leave the room with this... this _thing_ on my neck!"

Ruby felt herself shrink as Weiss scolded her. "I'm sorry... I don't know what else to say..."

The heiress rolled her eyes and briskly walked past Ruby and into the bathroom. "Don't say anything. I'm going to try to cover this up with something."

"Do you want me to stay and help? I can put makeup on it or try to-"

"Just go to class. I'll meet you there."

"O-Okay... I'm sorry..."

Weiss didn't acknowledge the apology. She remained silent and stared into the bathroom mirror. Ruby hung her head, turned around, and exited the dorm, looking at her girlfriend one last time before shutting the door.

 _"How could she do something like this? What in the world made her think that this was a perfectly fine thing to do? Granted, I didn't fight back much, but still!"_

Weiss carefully applied makeup to the area of dark skin, trying her best to make it match her natural color. The longer it took her, the more she thought about the lecture she had given Ruby and how cold she had been to her.

 _"Maybe... Maybe I came down too hard on her. I suppose I didn't really try to stop what was happening. It isn't all her fault."_ She placed her hands on the edge of the counter and stared at her reflection. _"Ugh, I owe her an apology."_

Weiss took one last look at herself in the mirror and exited the dorm.

* * *

Ruby walked into her classroom and sat down, thinking about how mad Weiss was. Yang noticed and walked over to her.

"Hey, sis, is something wrong?"

Ruby responded without looking up. "Nope."

Yang raised an eyebrow. "C'mon, Ruby. I'm not stupid."

"It's just... I did something stupid earlier and now Weiss is mad at me."

"What did you do?"

"N-Nothing. It doesn't matter."

Yang sat down in front of her sister so she could look into her eyes. "Ruby, you can tell me anything. Especially if it involves the Ice Queen. Do I need to go have a 'chat' with her?"

"No, Yang." Ruby turned her head to face away from her sister. "Earlier... I was teasing Weiss and... something happened."

"I'm gonna need more info than that."

"I... I gave her a hickey..."

"Okaaaay, well that's the last thing I wanted to picture you doing."

"Sorry, but you asked."

"So, you gave her a little love mark and she got angry?"

"Yeah..."

"Okay. I'll be back in a second."

The blonde stood up and started to walk out of the room, but Ruby reached out and grabbed her arm. "Yang, don't. Just leave her alone."

"Well how could she get angry over something like that? It's stupid."

Yang pulled her arm out of Ruby's grip and turned towards the doorway. As she took a step towards it Weiss walked into the classroom.

The blonde strode up to her and began to tell her off. "Listen here, princess. It's not fair for you to get mad at Ruby over something as small as this. If you d-"

Weiss walked right past Yang and towards Ruby, completely ignoring the blonde's words and not even sparing her a glance.

She sat down next to her partner and started talking to her. "Ruby, I'm sorry about earlier. I overreacted. I know it was a mistake, and I know you're sorry about it. I shouldn't have lectured you the way that I did. Will you forgive me?"

Ruby faced Weiss. "Only on one condition."

"Sure. Whatever you want."

Ruby pulled Weiss into a kiss. It was nothing new, except for the fact that they hadn't really kissed in front of anyone yet. Now they had kissed in front of their whole class.

She pulled away from the heiress and smiled. "Okay, I forgive you."

Weiss had several ideas of what Ruby might want, but she didn't expect this. The very, _very_ public display of affection caught her by surprise and her cheeks became red quickly. "Y-You dolt!"

Ruby shrugged and grinned. "Hey, you said whatever I want."

The heiress sighed. _"Well, she's_ right."

Yang walked over to the pair and spun Weiss around to face her. "You."

"What did I do?"

"You were supposed to let me have my big sister moment!"

"Sorry, Yang, but you didn't need to tell me to apologize to Ruby. I figured that out before I left the dorm."

"Well, you're lucky. I was ready to beat an apology out of you."

Weiss slowly slid the blonde's arms off of her. "Yes, I know. I could tell."

"That being said, I'm glad you care enough about her to actually say sorry. I didn't know you were capable of that, Ice Queen."

"I know I can be somewhat... _high-strung_... but I can admit when I overreacted to something."

Ruby walked between the two. "Are you happy now, Yang?"

"Yup. You're actually turning out to be a good girl for my sister, Weiss."

"Uh... Thanks."

Then Yang turned to Ruby. "Oh, hey, sis. I brought you something."

"Really? What'd you get me?"

Yang reached into a pack she had with brought with her and pulled out a bag full of something.

Weiss caught on to what it was immediately. "Yang, tell me those aren't-"

"Yup! I've been stockpiling cookies from the cafeteria for three days!"

Ruby was drooling. After she broke out of the temporary trance, she lunged for the bag. "Gimmegimmegimmegimme!"

She ripped the bag from her sister's hands and opened it, savoring the sweet smell of the ambrosia she had before her.

Yang walked over to her. "Does this make up for me letting Nora make off with your cookies the other day?"

"Uh, duh! Thanks, Yang!"

"You're welcome. Sorry I couldn't stop her. Nora is a slippery one, she lost me in no time."

As Ruby chowed down on the cookies, Weiss could only think of one thing. _"Great. I'm going to have to deal with her once all of that sugar gets into her system."_

As they stood there, Professor Port walked into the room. "Good afternoon, students. Please take your seats. This will be an exciting class."

"Why is that, professor?"

"I'm glad you asked, Miss Schnee! I have an enthralling lecture lined up for today. I'm sure you will all find it absolutely fascinating."

After hearing that today was going to be 45 minutes of Professor Port regaling them with stores of his younger days, or 'lectures' as he called them, the three members of Team RWBY that were present had the exact same thought.

 _"Damn. Another lecture."_

Just as they sat down, Professor Goodwitch's voice was heard on the school's intercom. "Will Team RWBY please report to Professor Ozpin's office? Thank you."

 _"Thank god."_

They gathered their things and walked out of the classroom, with Yang stopping right as they stepped out of the door. "Hey, you guys go ahead. I'm gonna go make sure Blake got the message. This was her free hour, so she was probably in the library reading and didn't hear it. You know how she gets with books."

"Okay, we'll meet you there, sis."

They parted ways and Ruby and Weiss headed to see their headmaster.

"So what do you think we got called up for, Weiss?"

"I have no idea."

Ruby's head dropped slightly. "I hope it's nothing bad."

After a few minutes of walking, the pair made it to Ozpin's office. As Weiss reached out for the door handle, it suddenly opened and Qrow was standing in the doorway.

"'Bout time y'all showed up."

"Uncle Qrow? What are you doing here?"

"We'll explain inside. Where's Yang and the other one?"

"They're on their way. Blake had a different class than us, so Yang went to make sure she was coming."

"Alright then, we'll just brief you two on what's going down first. Get in here."

Weiss and Ruby exchanged nervous glances as they stepped through the door, Qrow shutting and locking it behind them.

They stepped into the room and gazed upwards. No matter how many times they came into the office, they were always amazed by the complex structure of cogs and gears that spun overhead and on the walls.

Ozpin was sitting behind his desk, but stood up as he observed the pair walk in. "Miss Rose, Miss Shcnee, thank you for coming. Where are your teammates?"

Weiss spoke up, as Ruby seemed to anxious to actually form a sentence. "They will be here momentarily, Professor. Yang went to make sure Blake would actually show up."

"I see." Ozpin began to sit back down and gestured to a group of chairs in front of his desk. "Please, make yourselves comfortable."

As they took their seats, Ozpin took in a large breath before speaking again. "I suppose you're wondering why I've called you here."

"Y-Yes." Ruby managed to stammer out.

"Well, there has been a development in something we have been following for quite some time. We need a group to investigate it, and as all of our other huntsmen are either out on assignments already, or busy here at the school, we have elected your team for this mission."

Weiss was confused. "Professor, I understand that you need another team for this if all the hunters and huntresses are busy, but why us? Why not pick one of the older, more experienced teams?"

Ozpin's gazed narrowed and focused on Ruby. "Because Miss Rose is already somewhat familiar with this assignment and its location."

Ruby's eyes widened and her mouth was slightly agape. "Professor... You can't mean..."

The headmaster lowered his head and turned his gaze to his desk. "I'm sorry. Qrow has informed me about what transpired on your mission together, but frankly, we believe you are the only person capable of completing this task."

"B-But... I... I can't..."

Weiss looked to her partner. Ruby was tearing up. She couldn't tell if it was out of sadness, worry, or anger. "Ruby, what's going on?"

"Nothing! Nothing is going on because I refuse to accept this mission!"

"Miss Rose, please calm do-"

Ruby shot up out of her chair, half crying, half screaming at her professor. "No! Don't you sit there and tell me to calm down! You don't have any idea what it was like! You don't know what I had to go through, what I had to DO! Get whoever else you need for this, because I am NOT going back out there."

As she was screaming, there was a subtle knock at the door. Due to being far enough away from Ruby's yelling, Qrow was the only one that heard it. He opened the door and there stood Blake and Yang. He waved them in, but put an index finger over his mouth, signaling them to be quiet. As they stepped in, they noticed why.

The image of Ruby screaming at Ozpin was a terrifying sight for the blonde. She had seen her sister mad before, but not like this. She wasn't mad just out of anger, she was mad out of fear.

"I don't care if I'm your 'only hope' or 'chosen one' or whatever! You CANNOT and WILL NOT make me go back there!"

She turned around to leave the room, but Qrow stopped her. "Ruby, listen, I know it was tough before, but this is-"

"Really?! You too?! I thought you would be on my side about this!"

"I am, but you ne-"

Ruby's silver eyes seemed to have a storm brewing in them. "Uncle Qrow..."

"Yeah?"

"Get out of my damn way."

Ruby shoved passed her uncle and saw Yang and Blake standing behind him. When she looked at them, tears began to form in her eyes, as memories of things she had tried to forget came rushing into her mind. Then she remembered something else. Weiss was in the room too. She spun around to look at her girlfriend.

Weiss was scared, but not fearful. She was scared for Ruby. Something extreme had happened to her on her mission, something bad enough to make Ruby angry just by the mere mention of it. The heiress had never seen her partner like that before. As she looked to Ruby, she noticed that the younger girl had started to cry, which caused her to form tears of her own.

She stood up out of her chair and began walking towards Ruby, arms outstretched, ready to comfort her in any way that she could. But Ruby wasn't ready for that. Right now, she needed to be alone.

As Weiss made her way closer, Ruby turned around and bolted out of the room, making quick use of her semblance, as to make sure no one would catch her.

The remaining members of Team RWBY stood there, unsure of what had just happened.

Yang was the first of them that managed to croak a few words out. "What. The. Hell."

Qrow pulled a flask of one of his pockets and took a swig from it, responding to Yang after swallowing what she assumed to be liquor of some sort. "Look, I could tell you why this happened, but I think it would be better for you three to hear it from Ruby. Go try to find her, but don't even mention any of this. She clearly isn't ready to talk about it yet."

Qrow took another drink from his flask, gesturing for them to leave the office and go find their partner.

Blake, Yang and Weiss stepped out of the office and shut the door. Yang spoke up first. "What the hell was all that about?"

"I'm not sure. She seemed nervous when we came in, but then Ozpin mentioned a mission and she... snapped. Something happened to her while she was gone."

"Okay, we need to find her. I say we split up. I'll check the dorm. Where are you two going to go?"

Blake pointed down the hallway behind her. "I'll check the cafeteria."

"Okay. Weiss? What about you?"

"I think I might know where she is. I'll meet you both back at the dorm if she's not there and we can go from there."

"Okay, I'll see you two then."

The trio broke apart, all of them heading in opposite directions.

Weiss had one idea of where she could be. Ruby had said it was one of her favorite places to go.

The balcony.

The heiress sprinted towards it, using her glyphs whenever she could to give herself a small burst of speed.

 _"Ruby... what happened to you?"_

She ran down one of Beacon's hallways, her eyes darting left and right, trying to remember exactly where that particular balcony was. Then, she found a familiar staircase.

 _"This is it."_

After running up the staircase, she reached a door that led outside. As she went to open it, she heard a sound from the other side. She put her ear to the door to try to make it out. It took her a second, but she realized what it was. It was the sound of Ruby crying.

She opened the door and saw her. She was curled up into a ball on the ground with her head tucked between her knees. She didn't even hear the door open as Weiss stepped outside.

The heiress approached her very carefully. "... Ruby?"

The crimson-haired girl looked up. Her eyes were red and puffy. Se had been crying non stop since she ran.

"... W-Wei... Wei... W-We..."

Weiss walked over to her and knelt down. "Shhh. Ruby, it's okay." The heiress pulled her into a hug.

Ruby didn't try to run this time. She returned the embrace, holding Weiss tighter than she ever had before. "Th-they can't do this, W-Weiss. It's not f-fair."

"It's okay. They can find someone else to do it."

Ruby's grip tightened and she buried her face into Weiss' shoulder. "No! They can't! And that's why it's not fair!"

"Why not? There are plenty of competent hunters and huntresses here an-"

"Because I wouldn't let them! Uncle Qrow and me... we're the only ones that can... go back there."

"That's not true. Other people can just as easily g-"

"No! I wouldn't wish that place on anyone! No one else needs to go there! Ever!"

Weiss heart sank. She had never seen Ruby this broken before. "Ruby... what happened?"

"I... I..." Ruby broke down, sobbing uncontrollably into Weiss.

After sitting there for a few minutes, Weiss' scroll buzzed. She pulled it out and saw a text from Yang.

YANG: Did you find her? Me and Blake came up empty-handed.

WEISS: Yes, I found her. She's okay. I'll bring her back to the dorm in a little bit.

YANG: Okay, thanks.

Weiss placed her scroll back in her pocket and went back to cradling her girlfriend.

Slowly, Ruby's crying began to stop. After a second Weiss heard her mumble something.

"Ib sowy I god yu shurd wed."

"What?"

Ruby pulled her head back. Her eyes were still red, but they were dry now. "I'm sorry I got your shirt wet."

The heiress looked down, and sure enough, there was a humongous, tear-stained wet spot on her uniform where Ruby had been resting her head. "You dolt, that doesn't matter. Are you okay?"

"I... Yeah, I guess. At least for now."

"Do you feel like going to the dorm?"

Ruby shook her head and embraced Weiss again. She slowly slid down until she was resting her head in her partner's lap. "Can we just stay out here a little while?"

Weiss raised her hand and started running it through Ruby's hair. "Sure."

The pair sat there in silence, the only sound being the occasional breeze that whistled around the outside of the school. The quiet that surrounded them was peaceful, something that they needed after the day's previous chaos.

A few minutes passed and Ruby sat up. "Weiss?"

"What?"

"I'm sorry."

"For what?"

"Running off the way that I did. I just... I got angry and I couldn't stand being in that room anymore."

Weiss pulled her into her lap and wrapped her hands around her waist. "It's okay. You don't need to explain yourself. I'm just glad you're alright. You scared me when you ran."

"I'm sorry... I didn't mean to."

Weiss pulled Ruby's face towards hers and gave her a quick peck on the lips. "I know."

For the first time since she ran out of Ozpin's office, Ruby smiled. Ruby leaned in and gave Weiss a longer kiss than she had given her. After they broke apart Ruby laid her head in the heiress' lap again.

"Are Blake and Yang mad at me?"

"Of course not, you dolt. Why would they be mad at you?"

"I don't know. I did just kind of run away from everybody. I should go tell them I'm okay and apologize."

"Relax, I already texted Yang. I told her we would come back to the dorm later."

"Oh, good. Y'know, I'm going to do everything I can to make sure no one goes back to that place, myself included."

More silence took over. Weiss could clearly hear Ruby breathing. She was breathing in and out, with each breath getting heavier than the last. She seemed nervous.

Right before Weiss could ask her about it, Ruby spoke up. "Weiss?"

"Hm?"

"Do... Do you want to know?"

The older girl was confused. "Know about what?"

"You... You asked about my mission. Do you really want to know what happened?"

"It's okay, you don't have to talk about it."

"No... I'll tell you... if you want me to."

Weiss took a deep breath. "Okay, I'm listening."

* * *

 **Hey, everybody! Hope y'all like the chapter!**

 **I, uh... I can't think of what else to say right now. Well, this is slightly embarrassing. Please favorite, follow, and review! I really appreciate it! See you all in the next chapter!**

 **:D**


	10. A Grimm Past: Part 1

Ruby and Weiss sat on the balcony, comfortable in each other's embrace.

Ruby's grip on the heiress tightened. "You know, we're missing classes, right?"

"This is more important."

Ruby looked up at her girlfriend. "Really? Never thought I would hear you say that about... well, anything."

"Normally, I wouldn't. But if something's upsetting you to this degree, then I want to help in whatever way I can. Even if it means missing a few classes."

Ruby waited for the heiress to look down at her, and when she did, she stole a quick kiss from her. "Thanks, Weiss."

"So... are you sure you're okay with talking about your mission?"

"Yeah, I feel like it would help to actually talk to somebody about it."

"Okay, well I'm here whenever you're ready."

Ruby wrapped her arms around Weiss even more.

"Well, it started when Uncle Qrow and I went to this house in the middle of nowhere. At the time, I had no clue what we were doing. All I knew, was that this place was a 'safe house'. We stayed there for a while. Uncle Qrow said he needed to make sure we had all of the supplies we would need for the mission. Eventually, we ended up heading away from there and made our way to this town. It just seemed like an old, run-down city, but things started to get... scary."

* * *

"Hey, throw some more wood on the fire, would ya? It's getting pretty low."

"Oh, yeah."

Ruby and Qrow were sitting in a makeshift campsite in a small clearing of a long abandoned city, overgrown with grass, trees, vines and several other types of flora. They had been there for almost a whole day.

However, while the plant life in the area was flourishing, somehow the grimm had managed to pollute the atmosphere. It was cold and... dark. Not just as in color or lighting. It was _dark._ It was almost as if the darkness in the air was tangible. It was thick, black, and suffocating.

It also seemed to slowly eat whatever light dared cross into its domain. Ruby and Qrow had only made a campfire ten minutes ago. It went from a roaring fire to a slow ember in a matter of minutes.

"Jeez, what is it with this place?"

"I don't know, but I don't like it. I feel like we're bein' watched."

"Are you sure that's not your paranoia, Uncle Qrow?"

"Ha ha, very funny."

Their attention was drawn to the fire as they heard the fresh wood start to crackle and pop. Within seconds, they noticed the fire gradually getting smaller.

"Are you kidding me? Fire's getting low again."

Ruby started to get up, but Qrow beat her to it. "Sit back down. I've got it this time." As he walked to the small pile of wood they had collected, he realized it was way tinier than he remembered. They had been tearing through it while trying to keep the fire going.

"Ah, shit."

"What is it?"

"The damn wood's nearly gone. I'm gonna go try to get some more." Qrow made his way out of the camp, talking to Ruby over his shoulder. "And Ruby?"

"Yeah?"

"Watch yourself while I'm gone. I don't trust this place."

"O-Okay."

Ruby didn't understand her uncle's words, but as soon as he was out of sight, she felt a chill run up her spine and her hair stood on end. She couldn't see a threat, but she swore that she could feel one.

She grabbed Crescent Rose and clutched it tightly to her chest. _"What am I feeling? This isn't fear or intimidation. Is this... dread? Uncle Qrow needs to come back."_

Before she could explore her thoughts, Qrow stepped back into the camp.

"What took you so long?"

Qrow stepped over to the dying fire and threw a bundle of logs onto it. "What's wrong, kiddo? Were ya _scared_?"

"N-No! I was just cold. I was waiting for you to bring the wood!"

Qrow smirked. "Sure you were. That explains why you've got your weapon so close. I didn't know clinging to cold metal could warm you up."

Ruby knew that Qrow sensed her fear, so she decided to stop trying to hide it. "Uncle Qrow, is it just me or is there something... off in this place?"

Qrow found a thick twig laying next to him and began to poke the fire, trying to keep it going as long as possible without having to get more wood. "Nope, it's not just you. I noticed it as soon as we got here."

"What is it? It's... creepy."

Qrow finished stirring the fire up and threw the stick into the center of it, dusting his hands off afterward and pulling out his flask. "To tell you the truth, I'm not sure."

Ruby scooted close to the fire, as the heat was dying down since it was quickly diminishing. "So... can you tell me something else?"

Qrow turned his head up to face his niece. "What do you mean?"

"Well, when you asked me if I wanted to go on a mission with you, I was super excited. I still am, but I have no clue what we're doing here. You said you wanted to wait to tell me."

The hunter sighed and pulled his flask to his mouth again, grimacing slightly as the burning liquor went down his throat. "Okay, I suppose you need to know at this point."

He turned and faced the fire, the low-burning flames dancing in his eyes. "We're here to investigate this place."

"Huh? What do you mean investigate?"

"Well, we're not the first team that has come this way. There have been a few more."

Ruby started fidgeting nervously. "R-Really? What happened to them?"

"No one knows. That's what we came to find out."

"Well that's... unsettling."

"Relax, the people who came this way before us weren't hunters. They were scouting parties or treasure hunters, led by small groups of soldiers and mercenaries. They had no business leaving the safety of their kingdoms. All they wanted was recognition and money for discovering something. They thought that a run down city would be a good place to start."

"Well, do you think there's anything out here worth finding?"

"I wouldn't know. I don't see anything except broken down buildings and overgrown roads. If I had to guess, I'd say probably not."

Ruby streched her arms out towards the fire. Even with her thick red cloak and a set of insulated clothing, she was getting chills somehow. "Well, we've been out here for a while. It doesn't look like there's anything going on here."

"Yeah, maybe... but something doesn't sit right with me. I don't like how it seems so, well, _dead_ here."

Ruby looked around at the decrepit city. "Yeah, I guess I see what you me-"

As Ruby spoke, the duo heard a terrifying sound come from far behind them. They didn't know what it belonged to, but they knew it wasn't human. It slowly turned from a roar into a high-pitched scream and echoed through the entire area before fading away.

The huntress was petrified. She looked to her uncle with a face full of fear. "U-Uncle Qrow... what was that?"

Qrow turned his head towards the direction of the sound, his fingers slowly wrapping around the handle of his sword. "I don't know. This is a first for me."

"Grimm?"

"I've never heard a grimm sound like that before."

There it was again. It seemed to be the same distance away, but it came from their left this time instead of behind them.

Ruby's head jerked to follow the sound. "Whatever it is, it's fast."

Qrow stood up. "Nothing's that fast. There's more than one of them."

"M-More than one?"

"Has to be. No way in hell that something moved that quick across all of this rough terrain."

Then, they heard it again from their right.

Ruby picked up Crescent Rose and extended it into its scythe form. "What the hell is that?"

It sounded again, this time from behind them and from their left.

"I don't know, but we're not gonna stick around here to find out. C'mon, we're going back to the safe house." Qrow stood up, grabbed his sword and began to walk away.

Ruby wanted to follow him. Every fiber of her being wanted to get out of this awful place, but she couldn't. She couldn't run. She was too scared to.

"Uncle Qrow..."

He turned around and looked, surprised to see her standing there. "Ruby, what are you doing? Let's go."

"I... I can't move."

"What?"

"I can't move."

Qrow ran over to his niece, grabbed her shoulders and locked eyes with her. "Ruby! Snap out of it!"

"I can't move."

"We're getting out of here! C'mon!"

"I can't move."

She repeated the same three words over and over again. She knew what she was saying, she knew that she wanted to run, but it didn't matter.

Qrow let one of his hands fall away from her shoulder. _"Ruby, I'm sorry about this."_ He brought his open hand across Ruby's face hard and fast. The force of the slap shook ruby out of her fear-induced trance.

"Ruby?"

The huntress shook her head back and forth for a few seconds. "I'm okay. Let's go."

They ran out of the city and made their way to the safe house, which was a couple of miles from the town.

Once the house was in view, they slowed their pace dramatically, tired from near constant running.

They stumbled up a set of steps onto a wooden porch and stepped through the front door. Ruby slammed the door behind her and collapsed on the nearest sofa. "What was that place? And what was making those noises?"

Qrow shut the door, but stepped over to one of the houses windows and peered out of it, towards the direction of the city. "I'm not sure, but I'm gonna call Oz. Sit tight."

Ruby spread herself out over the couch and let out a huge breath. "Can do."

Qrow pulled out his scroll and stepped into another room.

Ruby could hear him talking, but couldn't make out any words. She didn't know if it was because he was too far away, or if her mind was too exhausted to actually register what words were being said.

" _I guess he's talking to him about that weird town and the noises we heard. Man, I don't know what any of that was, but I don't want to go back any time soon."_

She suddenly heard footsteps coming from the room her uncle was in. Qrow peeked his head out of the doorway. "Oz is gonna try to get a hold of Ironwood. 'Til then, we can just sit here. Get comfortable, if I know the general, it could be a few days before he answers Ozpin."

Ruby sat up and stretched. "Well then, why don't you just try to call him."

"Me and James don't exactly have the best history together. He wouldn't even acknowledge my calls if I did try."

"So... we just wait here?"

"Pretty much. I'm not comfortable going back out there until we have a better understanding of what's going on in that place. We might even get some backup from the Atlesian military. Who knows, we might need it."

Ruby sighed and laid back down on the couch. "Well, if we're not heading out anytime soon, I'm taking a nap."

"Alright, I'll let you know if anything happens with Ozpin and Ironwood."

As Ruby slowly drifted off to sleep, she shot out a thumbs up, letting Qrow know that she had heard him.

* * *

Several days had passed. Ozpin had gotten back in touch with Qrow and said Ironwood would be at the safe house in a few days. When Qrow asked for a definitive date, Ozpin said that the general did not provide one. This just strengthened the disdain the hunter felt for the military leader.

Qrow walked through the house, simply waiting for Ironwood to arrive and getting more annoyed for every minute he wasn't there. He glanced at the clock, then to his sleeping niece.

Ruby was jolted awake by Qrow kicking the side of the couch she had managed to fall asleep on.

"Get up, kiddo."

Ruby sat up and attempted to rub the sleepiness out of her eyes. "What time is it?"

"It's nine. Get movin' around."

The huntress stood and stretched as many of her muscles as she could. The sofa had not been kind to her while she slept. "Why so early?"

"Get used to it. We don't need you sleepin' the day away while we're out here."

Ruby rolled her eyes at the answer. "Ugh. I hate mornings." She managed to force herself off of the couch and headed for the bathroom. "I'm going to take a shower I guess."

"Alright." The hunter took the moment to go outside and call Ozpin.

The call rang for a few seconds before Ozpin picked up.

" _ **Hello, Qrow."**_

"Oz, where is Ironwood?"

" _ **He said his forces would be there i-"**_

"In a few days? It's been almost a week. What's taking him so long?"

" _ **James is a busy man. I'm sure he will be there as soon as he is able."**_

"Well, he needs to be here faster. We don't have the luxury of time."

" _ **If he is not there by the afternoon, I will be sure to call him again and express your concerns."**_

"Whatever. What is he sending anyway? I never asked."

" _ **I'm not sure. I believe he mentioned some Atlesian Knights and a Paladin."**_

"Awesome. Robots. Those will be a _big_ help."

" _ **Qrow, you should have known that he wouldn't send actual soldiers into a place where the threat has not been accurately assessed."**_

"Yeah, yeah, I know. Still... I wish we had some more... reliable backup. I don't know what's out there."

" _ **I'm well aware. Be careful, if this is what we think it is the-"**_

"Then I'll be sure to tell you. But, seriously, Oz? That's just an old legend, a fairytale that kids grew up hearing."

" _ **You said the same thing about the Maidens."**_

"... I'll keep an eye out."

" _ **Alright then. Let me know of any developments during your investigation."**_

"You got it."

Qrow hung up the call and shut his scroll. As he turned to go back into the house, the door opened and Ruby stepped outside.

Her eyes scanned the property that she had become familiar with over the last week.

The safe house was in the middle of a vast field, full of flowers and tall grass. However, it didn't seem overgrown, despite not having anyone keep up with the place. Everything seemed to move perfectly with each gust of wind. The place had its own natural beauty to it. It was the complete opposite of the dark city that was just a couple of miles away. The house itself was a different story. It was a very small one bedroom cabin. It had a small, wooden porch which looked like it was going to crumble the next time someone stepped on it. The front door seemed as if its hinges were barely connected, ready to fall off at any time.

Once inside, you could see the full extent of its lack of maintenance. Paint was peeling off of the walls, there were cobwebs in every corner of every room, and there wasn't an inch of space not covered in dust. There was only one bedroom, which means only one bed. Despite his offer to sleep on the couch, Ruby had given Qrow the bedroom, content with sleeping on the couch which seemed like it would be far more comfortable than the bed at the time.

It wasn't anywhere close to an ideal place to stay while on a mission, but it was the best that they could manage. There were no other safe houses nearby, and they didn't want to stay at a hotel. The nearest city was 10 miles away and they couldn't afford to pay for a hotel room every night. Especially since they had no idea how long they would actually be there.

But right now, at least they had a roof over their heads. That was good enough for them.

The porch creaked with each step Ruby took. "It looks so pretty outside today!"

"Yeah, too bad it can't be like this in that city."

Ruby had tried to block the town out of her memory. "Right. That would make going back there a whole lot easier."

Qrow walked over to her and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Relax, kid. Ironwood is sending in some help."

This put the huntress at ease slightly. "Really?"

"Yep, should be here any time now."

"Well, that's a huge relief. I was worried we would have to go back by ourselves."

There was a lingering silence between the two until Ruby broke it. "Soooo... Did you tell Professor Ozpin about the city?"

"Um, duh? Why do you think that the general is sending us help?"

Ruby shook her head. "No, I mean... did you tell him about the noises? And how dark it was?"

"I told him everything."

"What did he say?"

"Well, he actually thinks he has an idea of what could be out there."

Ruby's eyes shot up to her uncle's. "What does he think it is?"

"Uh... nothing. Don't worry about it. We can talk about this later. I'm gonna go try to find some food. I'm starving."

"... Okay. I'll be inside in a little bit."

"Alright."

Qrow walked back into the house, Ruby's gaze narrowing and following him until he was out of sight. _"What isn't he telling me?"_

Ruby walked over to the porch and sat down on the steps, twirling a blade of grass between her fingers. _"Well, I'm officially bored. I wish there was something to do out here. Oh, wait! I can call Yang!"_

She pulled out her scroll and started to call her sister. It seemed like the dial tone was going on for years. She started to think her sister wasn't going to answer. _"C'mon. Pick up, pick up, pick up."_

Suddenly, the dial tone stopped and she heard a familiar voice on the other end of the line.

" _ **Hello?"**_

"Yang!"

" _ **Oh, hey, sis! What's the occassion?"**_

"Nothing special. Just got bored and thought I would see what you were up to."

" _ **Well, nothing is really going on here. You called on a slow day."**_

"Aw, man, that sucks. You miss me yet?"

" _ **Are you kidding? It feels nice to actually be able to sleep in and not have a whistle blown in my face the next morning. You can stay gone for as long as you want."**_

"Yang! How could you say that?"

" _ **I was only joking. Of course I miss you. You're my little sister! But I have to admit, it has been quieter since you've been gone."**_

"Don't get used to it!"

" _ **Hehe, I'll try not to."**_

"So how is everyone else?"

" _ **Oh, they're all fine. Weiss is being a bit... extreme, but that's just Weiss."**_

"Oh... is she okay?"

" _ **She's fine, just a bit more uptight than usual."**_

"Does she ever... y'know... mention me?"

" _ **Uh, yeah, every now and then I guess. Why?"**_

"U-Uh no reason. I was just curious if she missed me."

" _ **She might not show it, but I know she does."**_

"You think so?"

" _ **Yup! How could she not? You're her best friend!"**_

"I guess you're right..."

" _ **So, how's the mission going?"**_

"Oh it's okay. It's different than I thought it would be. Lots of just sitting around."

" _ **Really? Well, it still sounds better than having to go to classes all day."**_

"I'd say it's a tie between the two."

Their conversation was interrupted by a series of fast beeps. Ruby pulled her scroll away from her and saw what the problem was.

"Hey, Yang? I'm sorry but I have to go. My scroll is about to die."

" _ **Oh, no problem. I guess I'll talk to you later."**_

"Oh, and tell Weiss that I miss her."

" _ **Uh... sure. Bye, Ruby."**_

"Bye, Yang."

As soon as the call ended, Ruby's scroll shut off. _"Well, that figures."_

Ruby slipped her scroll into her pocket and went back into the house.

As she stepped inside, the smell of food hit her nostrils, and she quickly realized how hungry she was. She followed the scent to a small kitchen in the corner of the house.

"Uncle Qrow? What are you doing?"

"What's it look like? I'm cooking."

"You can... cook?"

Qrow turned around, a spatula in one hand and a wooden spoon in the other. "Of course I can cook. I've been a hunter longer than you've been alive. I've had to learn how to do a few things."

"So what are you making?"

"Nothin' special. Just some bacon and eggs. Want some?"

"Sure!"

"Alright. Pull up a chair."

Ruby walked to a small table, pulled a rickety chair up to it and sat down.

Qrow set over and set two plates of food down. One in front of him and on in front of Ruby. "Breakfast is served."

Ruby attacked the food. "Wow, this is actually good."

"Did you think it wouldn't be?"

"I wasn't sure what to think. I've never had your cooking before."

"Told ya I could cook."

The pair finished breakfast and remained at the table, letting their food settle before getting up.

Qrow leaned forward onto the table, putting his hands under his chin. "So, are you ready to head back out to the city today?"

Ruby lowered her head slightly. "Honestly... not really."

"Well, don't worry about it. It won't be just us this time."

"I know, but... I still think about that sound. It's like I can still hear it."

"Like I said, we'll have some help from Atlas this time around. Worst case scenario, it's more than we can handle and we leave. That simple."

Ruby still didn't look up. "... Okay."

"C'mon, help me clean all of this up."

"Y-Yeah."

Ruby grabbed the plates and left Qrow to the pans he cooked in. They brought the dishes to the sink and almost started cleaning, but before they could begin, the house started shaking violently.

Ruby ran to the couch and picked up Crescent Rose. "What _is_ that?!"

Qrow noticed her pick up her scythe. "Put that down. I know what it is." As he walked across the room, Qrow was somewhat relieved, but still slightly annoyed. _"It's about damn time."_

"Okay?! What is it?!"

Qrow waved towards himself as he walked towards the front door. "Come outside."

As the walked onto the porch, Ruby discovered the source of the rumbling. There was a massive Atlas ship slowly lowering itself into the front yard. When it landed a group of ten Atlesian Knights and a Paladin marched out of the ship.

Ruby collapsed her scythe and slid it into the harness on her back. "Okay. Didn't expect that."

"Yeah, James always did like his soldiers to make a big entrance, whether he was there or not."

Suddenly, they heard a voice come from inside the ship. "And what makes you think I'm not here, Qrow?"

Ruby and her uncle watched as Ironwood stepped out of the cockpit of the ship.

"You didn't think I would let someone else handle this journey with all of this valuable Atlas technology, did you?"

Qrow strode towards the general. "I didn't think you could be bothered to come out all this way for an investigation of a run-down city."

"You're right, I didn't come out here for that. I merely came to make sure the soldiers I'm providing arrived undamaged."

Qrow rolled his eyes. "Whatever."

Ironwood glanced towards Ruby and his expression softened. "Ruby, it's good to see you again."

"You too, general."

His eyes darted back to Qrow. "Try not to break my machines."

"We'll do our best, _Jimmy_."

Ironwood glared at the hunter upon hearing the nickname he loathed.

"Very well. I'm heading back to Atlas. Ozpin will keep me posted on the status of your mission."

Ironwood climbed back into his ship and took of, engines roaring and threatening to make the safe house fall apart.

Once the ship was out of sight Qrow turned to face the group of machines in front of him.

"This is gonna be... interesting."

Ruby stared at the paladin, remembering the time her team was forced to fight one. "You can say that again."

Qrow pulled his flask out of his pocket and took a drink, then looked to his niece. "Well, Ruby, grab your stuff. It's time to go."

* * *

 **Okay, I would like to apologize for the late upload. Somehow, time managed to get away from me. It was like my brain just... melted. So, I'm sorry about that.**

 **Oh, yeah, one more thing...**

 **OH. MY. GOD. I hit 100 favorites and 200 followers! You guys are super crazy awesome! (Thanks for the quote, Neon.) I don't even know how to say thank you. I don't deserve it, but I appreciate each and every one of you that has taken an interest in this story. I know this chapter was kind of slow, but I promise, the next one won't be.**

 **Please follow, favorite, and review. I'll see you all in the next chapter!**

 **:D**


	11. Hello Again!

**Hey everybody! Sorry this isn't a real chapter, but I felt like I should put this up since I haven't posted anything in a while. Just wanted to let everyone know that I'm alive I guess, haha.**

 **The reason I haven't posted in a while is because, frankly, I hit a wall. I was in a creative slump and could't get out of it. Just when I would start feeling the urge to write, something would come up and I couldn't. It sucked.**

 **To top it all off, over the past week or so my internet has been, to put it bluntly, shit. I could not, for the life of me, figure out what was wrong with it. That, combined with everything else I had going on, just stressed me out to the point where I wasn't comfortable writing.**

 **But that changed yesterday! I sat down at my desk and started writing. Then, I couldn't stop. I just kept writing and writing. Now, I'm almost done with the next chapter.**

 **Wooo! I got my mojo back!**

 **I want to say sorry to all of you though. Normally, I would have had a few chapters out by now, but I could not write. I tried, but nothing came out right. I'm happy with the new chapter though. I hope everyone likes it! It should be out on... Thursday? Yup. Thursday. I checked.**

 **I'm sorry for making you all wait even longer, but it will be updated soon! You have no idea how much it means to me that everyone has stuck around even though I haven't posted anything in almost a month.**

 **You guys are freakin' awesome.**

 **This story has already gotten way more attention then I ever thought it would and that is just incredible to me. I hope everyone will stick around to see this story all the way to the end. I guess I'll see you guys in the next chapter!**

 **P.S.  
Just wanted to say sorry again. I'll just go write now...  
**

 **:D**


	12. A Grimm Past: Part 2

As the couple sat on the balcony, Weiss noticed Ruby's voice gradually getting softer and shakier as the story went on. "Ruby, are you okay?"

"Yeah... this story just brings up some memories I would rather forget."

The heiress pulled Ruby close. "If this is too much for you, then you don't have to keep going. We can talk about it later."

The younger girl shook her head. "No, it's okay. Honestly... I probably wouldn't feel comfortable telling anyone except you."

Weiss' eye's widened. "Really? Why me?"

"Well, I trust you. I'm not scared to tell you anything. If I told Yang and she found out what kind of danger we were in, she would give me and Uncle Qrow the lecture of a lifetime. I'll tell her, just not anytime soon."

"Okay, I guess that makes sense. So, anyway, what happened once you got back to the city?"

"Oh, right! I forgot I was talking about that, hehe."

The heiress rolled her eyes. "You dolt."

* * *

"Ugh, this place is so creepy."

"I know, kiddo. I think so too."

Ruby and Qrow walked into the dark city. There was something about it, like there was some unseen threat. They could sense danger, but saw no sign of it whatsoever. But that didn't stop them from having their weapons drawn.

"Uncle Qrow, you hear anything yet?"

"Nope, not yet."

It was hard for the pair to pick out any subtle noises from the area. Their hearing was somewhat hindered by the sound of gears moving together and heavy footsteps as the metallic soldiers followed them through the city.

After walking slightly deeper into the city, they see a familiar sight.

"Hey, is that our campsite from last time?"

"Looks like it. Let's take a break for now and get a fire started."

As they made their way over to the remains of the camp, Qrow pulled out a vial of red dust and picked a bundle of small logs up off of the ground. He placed the logs in the makeshift fire pit and tossed the bottle of dust into the center. As it shattered, a huge burst of flames appeared, completely covering the logs. It quickly died down, until it was at a much more comfortable level for the hunting duo.

Ruby sat down next to the fire. She had forgotten how cold this place seemed to get, even if it was in the middle of the day in summer. She stretched her hand out towards the fire and looked to her uncle. "So, what now?"

"Well, I say we rest here for a few minutes and then go deeper into the city."

"That's _exactly_ what I wanted to hear."

Qrow chuckled. "I know you don't like this place, kid. I don't either, but this is our mission and I intend to finish it."

Ruby let out a sigh. "I guess you're right. I'll just have to tough it out."

"Just look at it this way, once we finish this mission we can go ho-"

Qrow was cut off by a familiar scream. It was the same noise that the pair had heard on their previous visit.

Ruby quickly stood up and extended Crescent Rose to its scythe form. She was scared, but she was ready. "What do we do?"

Qrow stood up and pulled out his sword. He looked toward the area where the noise had come from, then his gaze turned to Ruby. "We investigate, c'mon."

They carefully made their way towards the noise, keeping their eyes and ears open the entire way. The heavy footsteps of the machines following them did make it harder to hear, but nothing could muffle that scream.

They ventured deeper into the city, having to climb over huge boulders and collapsed buildings along the way. The city seemed as though it could have been a bustling metropolis at one point, but that would have been a very long time ago.

After a while of walking, they could no longer hear the noise, but a feeling of dread along with a chill had crept upon them. Then, suddenly, they heard the screams again, but this time it was closer.

Qrow gripped his sword tightly and looked to his niece. "Ruby, get ready."

The young girl nodded and looked straight ahead.

The scream had come from behind and old, cement wall that seemed to be from a building of some sort before the town fell apart.

The pair slowly walked towards the wall, ready to attack the first thing that they saw on the other side. However, right before they made their way over it, they heard several gunshots accompanied by the same scream from earlier, then quick, heavy footsteps heading away from them.

"Were those... gunshots?"

"Sounded like it. Stay here for a second."

Qrow climb up the wall and peeked his head over it. What he saw was the last thing he expected to see. He hopped down from the wall and put his sword away.

"Ruby, come look at this."

"What is it?"

"Just look, and put your weapon away. I don't think you'll need it right now."

Ruby slipped her scythe into its harness and, with Qrow's help, managed to look over the wall. On the other side was a small village.

"... What is this place?"

"No idea. Looks like a village. I don't even know how something like this exists in this city."

"What do we do?"

"Well, it sounded like someone down there scared off whatever was making those noises. I guess we can go see if they got a good look at it."

Ruby stared at the wall nervously. "Do you think that's okay? Like, if we just barge into that place?"

Qrow shrugged. "Probably not, but I want to know what is in this place and, more importantly, why and how people are living here."

"Okay..."

The hunting pair clambered over the wall, followed by their backup.

As soon as they had crossed to the other side, there was a fragile-looking old woman right in front of them, and she had a gun pointed at Qrow's face.

"Who the hell are you and how did you find this place?"

Ruby began to raise her scythe, but Qrow stopped her, raising his hands to show he had no ill intent. " This girl and me, we're hunters. We're here to investigate this place."

The old woman raised one eyebrow and her expression softened slightly, but she didn't lower her gun. "And what are you investigating?"

"The disappearance of several people. This city was their last known location."

She looked past the hunters and nodded her head towards the small Atlesian fleet. "... And why do you have those robots with you?"

"We were in a different part of the city about a week ago. We heard some... noises... coming from something. We had no clue what it was or if it was dangerous. After a while, we were able to contact the Atlesian military and they sent reinforcements."

"Okay, but you didn't answer all of my questions. How did you find this place?"

Qrow slowly lowered his hands. "We were tracking... something. We heard a scream and it led us here."

The woman finally lowered her gun. "You were... _tracking_ that thing? You've got some balls on you. Why would you do something like that?"

"Well, we wanted to find out what it was. It could help us with our investigation. Right as we came close to it, we heard a few gunshots and then footsteps running away."

"How do you not know what that was?"

"We've never heard something that made a noise like that before."

"Mister, that was a Grimm."

Ruby was surprised that there was a Grimm that her uncle didn't know about. "Uncle Qrow, I thought you said it couldn't be a Grimm!"

Qrow turned to his niece. "I said it didn't seem like a Grimm I had seen or heard before. I never said it couldn't be one."

The old woman waved her hand over her shoulder. "Well, if you two don't know about these things, there are some things you should probably be filled in on if you're planning to track them. Come with me." She turned and began to head further into the village.

"Do we follow her?"

"What choice do we have? We need to know what we're up against."

As the pair began to walk after the woman, she stopped and turned back around. "But leave those machines where they are."

"Sure." Qrow turned to the robots. "You guys stay put." The group saluted in return and stood at attention, not moving the entire time Qrow and Ruby followed the woman.

Ruby studied the village as they walked through it. There were several houses that looked like they had been made before the city had fallen apart, and then had been pieced back together with the remains of the buildings around the area afterwards. Some houses were half brick, half wood, while others were made of concrete and fallen trees. The huntress started to think that, if not for the wall that surrounded them, this place would have been overrun by grimm a long time ago.

The village was small, but it seemed to have a rather large group of people living in it.

Ruby looked at the amount of people compared to the number of houses. _"It has to be cramped in here. Why don't they just get out of here?"_

The old woman noticed her staring at the different houses and the villagers. "Trying to think of why we still live here?"

"Y-Yes, ma'am."

"None of that ma'am crap. Call me Ivory."

"Ivory... I'm Ruby."

"Alright, and what's your name, Mister? It's not Mister is it?"

"Name's Qrow."

"So, Ruby and Qrow, I bet you have a few questions."

The huntress nodded. "You could say that..."

Ivory led them towards a lone house that was directly in the middle of the village. It was the same as the others, but it had a small tree on either side of the doorway leading into the house, which had extremely intricate carvings on them. A man's face on one and a woman's face on the other. Ivory opened the door and stuck her thumb towards it. "Go on, in ya get."

As they walked in, Ruby completely forgot about how cold it was. The inside of the house radiated warmth. She looked to her side and noticed a roaring fire going in a fireplace towards the back of of the room they were standing in. She stared at it longingly.

Ivory noticed the girl staring. "Head over there if you want. I know this place is cold to people who aren't used to it."

"Thank you!" Ruby sprinted over to the fire and sat down in front of it.

While Ruby was preoccupied with warming herself, Ivory turned to Qrow. "So, are you ready to talk?"

"Yup."

"Good. Let's join your... niece? I thought I heard her call you 'uncle' earlier."

Qrow simply nodded.

"Well, let's join her by the fire, you must be pretty cold yourself."

Ivory walked to into another room and brought out two small chairs. She dragged them towards the fire and set them up on opposite sides of Ruby. "Take a seat and let's have a little chat."

Qrow sat down in the chair, which creaked loudly as he did so. He was concerned it would break under his weight. It didn't seem very sturdy.

Ivory sat down in the chair opposite him, letting out a small groan and waving her hand dismissively in his direction. "Relax. These might look and sound like they wouldn't hold up a fly, but they are sturdier than they seem."

Upon hearing a chair creak behind her, Ruby spun around to face the noise. It was now, in the light of the small house, that the huntress could clearly see Ivory.

To say she looked old almost seemed like an understatement. She had long gray hair that almost came to her waist, with the tips having a very slight tint of blonde to them. Her face, along with her arms from what Ruby could see, was covered in wrinkles and scars. The majority of the scars almost looked self-inflicted by a small blade. She also looked to be very tall, even though she was sitting down. Ruby knew that Ivory was shorter than her by at least six inches. She could see clear over her head when they walked in the house. She assumed Ivory had just been so hunched over that it only semed that way.

Then Ruby noticed a cane leaning against her chair. As she began to study it, she realized that it was the gun that Ivory had pointed at Qrow earlier that night, it was just transformed. Her inner weapon geek was screaming at her to reach out and grab it, but she managed to ignore the inner voice.

After a few seconds passed, the old woman let out a sigh and leaned back into her chair further. "So, how much do you two know about those things?"

"Next to nothing. All we know is that there is more than one of them."

"That's it? Settle in, you two. There's a lot to go over."

"Well, we haven't got anywhere to be right now. We've got all the time we need." Qrow pulled out his flask and started to take a drink, but Ivory stopped him.

"Wait, what is that?"

Qrow held his flask up. "This? It's just a little bit of whiskey."

"Whiskey? You're drinking while you're out in a dangerous area like this? With your niece no less?"

"W-Well... Uh..."

"No excuses. There will be none of that in my house. Put it away or give it here."

Qrow rolled his eyes and placed the flask back in his pocket.

"Don't think I didn't see that eye roll, young man."

Qrow looked shocked. It had been a long time since he had been scolded like... well, like a child.

Ivory leaned forward slightly in her chair. "Now, about these grimm, how long have you been after them?"

Ruby faced the old woman, answering her before Qrow could. "We only started tracking them tonight, but the first time we ran into them was about a week ago. This is our first night back since then." She turned to face Qrow, but he was incredibly focused on the woman who sat across from him, waiting for her to speak again. He seemed worried about something.

"I'm still confused as to how you don't know about these things. They're one of the oldest types of grimm out there and one of the most dangerous."

"Really? How come?"

"How do I put this. They can... change."

Qrow winced. _"Please don't go where I think you are with this."_

Ruby was very interested. "What do you mean they change?"

"I mean they change. If someone makes eye contact with them... they can change their appearance to match that person. I know it sounds crazy, but it's true. They can shape shift."

The huntress was in disbelief. "Aren't things like that just from stories? Things can't really do that?" She turned to her uncle. "Right, Uncle Qrow?"

Qrow's gaze narrowed, but he didn't respond to Ruby.

The young girl returned her attention back to Ivory. "So, if things like that really exist... what are they called?"

Ivory took a breath like she was about to speak, but Qrow answered the question instead. "They're called Mistrae."

Ruby's head turned sharply to her uncle. "So you DO know what they are?!"

"Yes, I know. It's just... There haven't been any reports of them for centuries. I thought they were just myths, thought up to scare kids. This is the first one I'm hearing of, if that _is_ what it actually turns out to be."

Ivory picked up her cane and wagged it towards Qrow's direction. "I promise you that it's them. I've seen what they can do. No mistakin' it."

Ruby stood up and started to pull Crescent Rose out of its harness. "Okay so we just kill 'em, right? Problem solved."

Qrow raised his hand in protest. "Sit back down. It's not that simple."

"How is it not?"

"You can't kill them like a regular grimm."

Ivory spoke up. "What do you mean? I've killed plenty. All you need is a gun and good aim."

"When you killed them did their bodies disappear?"

The woman opened her mouth to speak, but quickly shut it, thinking on Qrow's words. "Well, now that you mention it... I don't think they did."

"That's what I thought. You can't be sure that they're dead until their corpses fade, but there's only one way to do that."

"And what is that, exactly?"

"You have to kill the Alpha."

Ruby was getting curious and very nervous as qrow's explanation went on. "So, after that, will the others die?"

Qrow shook his head. "Nope. Each one has to be killed individually after the Alpha has died."

The young girl lowered her head. "So... we're going to be here for a while then."

This puzzled her uncle. "What makes you say that? Our mission was to find out what caused the recent disappearances, not to kill grimm."

"Uncle Qrow! We can't just sit here and let these grimm keep killing people!"

The hunter smiled. "I know, kiddo. I just wanted to know how you felt about it. Of course we're going to stick around." Qrow stood up and stretched. He walked over to Ivory and held out his hand. "Ivory, it was good meeting a friendly face out here, but Ruby and I need to go find a place to set up camp."

Ivory waved her hand and stood up out of her chair. "Oh, don't worry about that. You two can stay here in the village. I actually have a house with two beds in it that no one is staying in. You're welcome to use it."

"Well-"

Ruby walked over and clasped her hands around Ivory's. "Thank you! You don't know how awesome it sounds to be able to sleep in a bed out here!"

"Don't mention it. Like I said, no one is using it. I'll show you where it's at." Ivory stood up, grabbed her cane and headed towards the door. "C'mon, you two."

The trio walked out of the house, Ruby taking one last glimpse at the warm fire before shutting the door.

On the way out of the house, Ruby noticed the carvings on the trees by the door. "Wow, these are pretty cool."

Ivory looked over her shoudler to see what Ruby was talking about. "Oh, those tree carvings? I'm pretty fond of them myself."

"It would be cool if a couple people really looked like that. The girl is really pretty."

The old woman took a deep breath. "Well, actually, there were people that looked like that... at one time."

"They... don't look like that now? Are they different?"

Ivory shook her head. "No, nothing like that. They are... _were_... my children. They're..." Her voice trailed off slightly. "They're gone now."

"Oh... I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said anything."

Ivory shook her hand dismissively. "It's fine, Ruby. It has been a long time since then. They... passed... when the city was attacked by grimm. I keep those carvings there to help me think about what this city used to be like, and so I can remember how happy they always were."

The rest of the walk to the house was filled with an awkward silence, only broken by Qrow as they arrived at the house. Ivory opened the door and stepped inside, ushering the pair in.

"Thanks for letting us stay here, Ivory."

"Don't mention it. Now, you two get some rest."

Ivory began to step out of the house, but Ruby stopped her. "Wait, can you answer a few questions for me? I didn't really get to ask any earlier..."

The old woman smiled at the young huntress in front of her. "Of course, but you'll have to wait until tomorrow. I'm pretty tired and I imagine you two feel the same way. Come see me when you wake up." Ivory walked out of the house and shut the door behind her.

She didn't realize it until Ivory had brought it to her attention, but Ruby _was_ wondered if they had been there for longer than she thought _._ There was no telling what time it actually was, due to the city constantly being dark. It could have been the middle of the night, for all she knew.

Ruby looked around the small house. It wasn't much different from the other houses around the village and its interior looked similar to that of Ivory's. It had a half-stone, half-tile floor with two rooms. One was what Ruby could only assume to be the bathroom, and the other was simply a big, open space with two beds and a fire pit with a few pans and utensils hanging up in it.

Qrow started walking towards one of the beds. "Y'know, I think it's best we head to bed for the night. Tomorrow's shapin' up to be a long day."

Ruby nodded in agreement. "Yeah, you said it."

The pair laid down onto the beds, not bothering to get under the sheets, as they were still in their hunting gear. Ruby tried to go to sleep, but the knowledge that there was a grimm that she had never heard of before, especially the fact that it could change, was eating at her, keeping her awake.

"Uncle Qrow? You awake?"

"Yeah, I'm up."

"I was wondering about something..."

"Can you tell me anything else about these grimm?" Her question was answered with silence. "Uncle Qrow, did you hear me?"

Ruby heard a heavy sigh come from her uncle. "Yeah, but don't you think we should save this kind of talk for tomorrow?"

"Well... I was just curious."

"Honestly, I don't even know that much about them, just what I've heard from Oz and from stories when I was a kid."

"In that case... What do you know? Do you know what they look like, or anything like that?"

Another sigh. "I'm not sure, but from the stories I've heard, they supposedly look like a cat."

"A cat?"

"Yup, but like I said, that's only what I've heard from stories. If these things really can change the way that they look, then who knows if that's what they really look like."

"...Okay."

"Now enough of this talk about grimm. You should get some sleep."

"I guess you're right."

"Of course I am."

Ruby scoffed at the remark. "Goodnight, Uncle Qrow."

"G'night, kiddo."

* * *

 **Hey guys! It's been a while. Sorry for the delay. I explained myself in the previous "chapter", so I won't go into it here.**

 **I hope everyone likes this chapter! I know it's been a while since we had a good amount of WhiteRose action, but we'll get back to the couple actually _being_ a couple very soon! I promise! I just really wanted to finally start addressing Ruby's mission.**

 **Please follow, favorite, and review and I'll see you all in the next chapter!**

 **:D**


	13. A Grimm Past: Part 3

"Hold on a second. The Mistrae? Why have I never heard of them?" Weiss was shocked that there was a type of Grimm that she didn't even know existed.

"Like I said, not many people have heard of them. Calling them extremely rare would be the understatement of the century."

"Still, there should be documents about them or something!"

Ruby shook her head. "Nope. Apparently, they were scarce enough to just pass into legend. Then they turned into a fairytale, but I guess a horror story would be more appropriate."

Weiss sensed a slight shakiness in her girlfriend's voice. "Ruby… are you sure you want to keep going with this?"

"Yeah, I'm sure..."

The heiress repositioned herself and made Ruby sit in her lap with them both facing the same direction. Weiss then began to rub Ruby's shoulders and arms. "Don't tell any more than your comfortable with, okay?"

As Weiss rubbed Ruby's arms, the younger girls sleeves rode up slightly, revealing her wrists to Weiss. As she looked down, the heiress was shocked. Parts of ruby's arms were covered in tiny scars.

" _What in the hell… Ruby… What are those… and how have I not noticed them before now? I guess I'll need to wait to ask her. She's under too much stress right now."_

"Thanks, Weiss. You're actually really caring."

The remark shook the older girl out of her thoughts. "Don't sound so surprised! I can be very comforting when I want to be!"

"I've never seen this side of you around anyone else..."

The heiress rolled her eyes. "Well, that's only because I lo-" She cut herself off. _"Did I really almost say that?! What is wrong with me?! This is hardly the time or place to bring something like that up!"_

"What? Were you gonna say something?"

"N-No! I was just… thinking out loud!"

Ruby was a little confused. "Um… okay? Anyways, do you want me to keep going?"

"Only if you're comfortable with it."

Ruby took a deep breath. "Okay."

* * *

"Wake up, Ruby. We've got things to do today."

Ruby opened her eyes briefly, only to quickly shut them upon having a beam of sunlight shine directly into them through an open window.

"C'mon, Uncle Qrow, just five more minutes."

She felt and heard a foot kick the side of the bed she was currently laying in. "Not this time. Remember where we are, don't sleep all day."

Ruby had actually forgotten about the previous nights events, but she remembered them very quickly. "Oh, crap. We need to go see Ivory."

"Yep, that's kinda why I'm waking you up."

The young girl sat up in the bed and rubbed her eyes a few times. "What time is it anyway?"

The hunter shrugged. "Not sure. If I had to guess, I'd say it's at least noon."

"Already? What time was it when we went to sleep?"

"No idea." Qrow walked over to a window and peered out of it. "Honestly, it might not even be noon. It's hard to tell what time it is in this place. The atmosphere is weird here."

Ruby slowly got out of bed and shuffled over to the window, still half-asleep. "Yeah, you're right. It's always so dark here. I wonder why... You got any ideas?"

The hunter shook his head. "Nope. I thought that it might have something to do with the Grimm here and the city's history, but I highly doubt that it's something like that."

"Well, whatever it is, I feel like we're gonna find out what it is before we finish our mission here."

Qrow pulled out his flask and took a drink of it. "Yeah, I think you might be right."

After staring out of the window for a few more seconds, Ruby slowly made her way to the bathroom. At least, she would have, if she knew where it was.

"Hey, Uncle Qrow, where's the bathroom?"

A small grin spread across Qrow's face. "Funny thing about that..."

Ruby became slightly worried. "Why do I get the feeling that it's _not_ funny?"

Qrow nodded his head towards a door in the back of the house. "It's back there. Go see for yourself."

The huntress made her way to the door. Upon opening it, her fears became reality.

Years ago, the city had been overrun by Grimm and the townspeople that had survived and stayed behind, had to rebuild everything that they once had. However, they couldn't aquire certain resources, due to not being able to leave the city. This left certain areas of the house… undesirable. As Ruby looked out the door, she realized that she was staring at an outhouse.

"What the hell is this?!"

The response she got was a laugh from her uncle. "I think you know what that is."

Ruby spun around and faced Qrow. "Well, yeah, but why is it here?! Where is the plumbing?!"

"Think about it, this city was almost completely destroyed, with everyone inside it assumed dead. Pretty sure plumbing wasn't too high on their to-do-list. And it's not like they could just leave to go get help with all of those Grimm lurking around. They made do with what they could."

The huntress sighed. "I guess you're right, but still..." She slowly turned her head around to the bathroom. "This is… not the best..."

"I know, but you're just gonna have to tough it out for now, until we finish this thing out."

"Yeah… Let's hope that doesn't take too long..." She made her way into the bathroom and shut the door.

Despite being an outhouse, the room was actually fairly well-kept. It had painted walls, a tiled floor, and an absence of any sort of disgusting smells.

As Ruby came out of the bathroom, she made her way to the bed she had spent the night on. She sat down on it and began putting on her combat boots. After she was done, she stood up, stretched, and walked to Qrow.

"So, Uncle Qrow, what now?"

The hunter took another drink from his flask and slipped it back into his pocket, out of eyesight. "I guess we go see Ivory."

"Okay."

They opened the front door of the makeshift house and began to make their way towards Ivory's. As they stepped out, they realized just how many people were in the village. It wasn't cramped, but it definitely had a bigger population than either of the two had imagined.

"Wow… there's a lot of people here."

As the pair walked to Ivory's house, they began to feel less than welcome. The people in the village began to give them suspicious stares. Occasionally, people would stop what they were doing all together and just stare at them until they passed. It was making Ruby very uncomfortable.

"Well, this isn't exactly a warm welcome..."

"They're probably just confused as to why there are two new people in this place who just showed up out of nowhere. Especially when they walk out of a house in the village."

"Yeah..."

They finally escaped the watchful eyes of the villagers upon arriving at Ivory's door. As Qrow reached up to knock on it, the door opened.

"Oh, I was wondering when you two were going to show up. I started to think you had left."

"Nothing like that. We were just pretty tired after last night."

"Ah, I guess that makes sense. I was about to head out for a minute, but it can wait." Ivory began to walk deeper into her home, leaving Ruby and Qrow to stare at her through the open door. "Are you two gonna come in or just stand there?"

"Oh, right, sorry."

The pair walked in and Ruby shut the door behind them.

"I hope you two slept alright last night. I know the beds aren't the most comfortable things in the world, and the house isn't the best, but it's all we've got."

Qrow pulled a chair to him and sat down. "It was more than enough. Thank you."

Ivory pulled up another chair and sat across from Qrow. "So, have you talked to any of the villagers, or did you come straight to me?"

Ruby sat on the floor between the two older people. "We came straight here, but..."

Ivory raised an eyebrow. "But… what?"

"It's nothing. We just got a few weird looks while we were heading this way."

The old woman leaned back in her chair. "That's to be expected. I told quite a few people that a couple of hunters showed up last night. They were probably just trying to get a feel for you. Everyone here is a little on edge. Sorry about that."

"Okay..."

"So, do you two have any questions? I would imagine you have quite a few. That's why I asked you to come see me."

"Well, now that you mention it… Why are all of you still here? And how?"

Ivory took a deep breath. "Before the city fell, this place used to be a memorial. It was just a nice area of land with a small plaque in the middle that was dedicated to all of the people who had given their life to protect the world from harm. Military, Hunters, Huntresses, even some mercenaries. The walls surrounded this place as a deterrent for things to stay away from it. I never would have thought that we would actually use them one day."

Ruby scooted closer to the old woman. "That still doesn't answer my questions..."

"I'm getting to that, have some patience."

Ivory stood up out of her chair and walked over to her fireplace. "We weren't ready for an attack… Most of us didn't make it. My son had the idea to take shelter here. It sounded like a good idea, so he, my daughter and I got here as fast as we could. We weren't the only ones. Once we got here, it was really cramped. Believe it or not, my kids were actually hunters-in-training. Once they made sure I was safe, they headed out to fight the hordes of Grimm..."

Ruby began to regret her question. "Did they…"

The old woman shook her head. "They never made it back..."

"Ivory… I'm sorry."

"Don't be. It's not your fault and it was a long time ago."

Ruby knew she was treading on thin ice, so she tried to be more careful with her questions. "So how did you manage to make it this far?"

A small chuckle came out of Ivory. "Well, at one point, I was also a huntress."

"What, really?!"

"Yeah, I graduated from Mantle before it became Atlas and that general took over."

"That's so cool!"

"Unfortunately, I was never able to do much with all my huntress training."

"How come?"

"Two years after I graduated, I found out I was pregnant."

"… Oh."

Qrow bumped Ruby slightly with his foot. "Ruby, don't you think we're getting a little off-topic here?"

"Oh, right!" Ruby turned back to Ivory after looking at her uncle. "Why haven't you left?"

Ivory walked back to her and sat down, easing herself into the creaking chair. "We've tried, but there is just too many of us here to make it out with all of the Grimm out there."

Ruby stood up and crossed her arms. "Well, now you've got us!"

Ivory waved her hand towards the huntress. "Thats nice of you, Ruby, but there's no way you and Qrow here could defend all of us from that many Grimm, no matter how skilled you are."

Qrow leaned forward slightly. "Have you ever tried to make contact with anyone outside?"

"A few brave people tried to make it out of the village to go get help and… let's just say they didn't get very far."

"Well, now we're here. We can make it outside of this place. It's not the first time we've been here. We could get help and come back."

Ivory stuck out her finger and pointed at Qrow. "That might be true, but now you've made it to the village. These things won't let you leave now. You're as stuck here as the rest of us."

"Not to sound arrogant or anything, but I'm willing to bet Ruby and I could fight our way out of here. We've dealt with hordes of Grimm before, so this shouldn't be anything new."

"But you've never dealt with these Grimm! What happens if you get separated and Ruby comes back? How do you know if it's really her or not?!"

"Well… I..."

Ivory stood up out of her chair once more and walked over to Qrow. "That's what I thought. Let me show you something."

The old woman pulled up her sleeves and held out both of her arms to the hunter. "Look at them closely."

"Your arms?"

"No look at my feet, of course my arms!"

Qrow was surprised at the amount of scars covering the old womans skin. "Why do you have all of those?"

Ivory rolled her sleeves back down and made her way back to her chair. "That's the one and only way to tell real people apart from Mistrae. They don't bleed."

Ruby did not like the idea of having to get injured every time she got seperated from her uncle. "Surely there's another way."

The old woman shook her head. "Not that I know of. They can't speak in their normal form, but once they shift, their language and mannerisms are perfect. They act exactly like the person they look like."

"Well this is just great. How are we supposed to fight these things?"

"You need to kill them before they change, and you can't make eye contact with them or they can turn into you."

"Yeah, I rememebr you saying that before."

"I just want to make sure you remember that. You too, Qrow."

"Yeah, yeah, I got it."

Ivory leaned back in her chair. "Now, what's the game plan? Do you two still plan to fight these things, or are you going to try to get help?"

Suddenly, Qrow stood up out of his chair and began to walk towards the front door. "Actually, I think I might have a solution to both problems." He pulled out his scroll and looked at. "No signal. Great. Well, that wasn't my only idea. I'll be back in a second."

Ivory quickly stood out of her chair and grabbed her cane. "Wait, let me go with you. That way I can ward off any of the villagers who have questions."

"Thanks, Ivory."

Qrow looked over his shoulder towards his niece. "You comin', Ruby?"

The huntress stood up and stretched. "Might as well."

As Ivory opened the door and the three of them headed outside, they were met with a rather large group of people.

Qrow leaned over to Ivory and whispered to her. "You wanna try to work your magic and get us out of here? I need to make it to my robots."

Ivory stepped towards the crowd and planted her cane firmly on the ground. "Okay, everyone, listen up. I will answer every question you have, but right now I need to escort these two to one of the outer walls."

There group murmured among themselves, but they slowly parted down the middle, allowing the trio to walk through.

As they made their way towards where Qrow left the soldiers, Ivory looked towards the hunter. "So why do you need to go to those things?"

"Those machines are linked to the military base in Atlas. Our scrolls might not have a signal out here, but the Atlesian Knights should. I should be able to send a message directly to General Ironwood for reinforcements."

"Makes sense, I guess."

As they rounded a corner, they saw the soldiers standing the exact way Qrow had left them. Qrow walked up to the Knight in the front of the group.

"I need you to send a message to General Ironwood in Atlas."

"Negative."

Qrow was confused. "What?"

The knight gave no response.

"Send a message to General Ironwood in Atlas, now."

"Negative."

"Send a message to Professor Ozpin in Vale."

"Negative."

"Is that all you know how to say?"

"Negative."

Qrow faced Ivory and Ruby. "I hate machines." He turned back to the Knight, a slight scowl on his face this time. "Can you send messages anywhere?"

"Negative."

"… Is your signal jammed?"

"Affirmative."

"Do you know why?"

"Negative."

Qrow threw his arms up over his head. "Well, that's just fuckin' great. We're stuck in a place overflowing with Grimm and have no way to reach the outside. And the only backup we have is a small group of things held together with nuts and bolts. Awesome."

Ivory placed a hand on the hunters shoulder. "Calm down, Qrow. We can think of something else to do. Let's head back to my house."

"… Fine." He began to walk away but quickly spun around and pointed towards the robots. "Stay."

The robot saluted and went back to standing completely still.

As they arrived back at Ivory's house, they noticed the group of people was still there. A man walked up to the three. "Ivory, what's going on here?"

The old woman held up her hand to the man. "Calm down, Wolfe. I'll explain in a little bit." Ivory looked past him to the group of people gathered by the front of her house. "That goes for everyone. I'll talk to you all later. I'll answer any questions you have and I'm sure these two would be happy to do the same. Until then, I need in my house."

Once again, the crowd separated and allowed them to pass through. Once inside, Qrow shut the door and looked to Ivory. "Those people are pretty suspicious, aren't they."

"Wouldn't you be, if you were in their shoes?"

"Okay, you make a point. So, what now?"

Ivory slowly sat down in her chair and sighed. "Y'all were on to something earlier. We've never had capable hunters before, plus we have those machines out there. We might be able to slowly fight our way out of here. And I mean _slowly_."

Qrow sat down in a chair opposite Ivory, leaving Ruby to sit on the floor again. "You care to elaborate?"

"Well, like you said before, these things can't die unless you kill the Alpha. You take out the Alpha, you can start getting rid of the smaller ones."

Ruby hopped up. "Well, yeah, we've already decided we were gonna do that."

"I know, but how do you expect to do it?"

"We can… er… I mean..."

Ivory laughed softly. "You two have no idea where the Alpha is. We need to bring it out first somehow."

"Do you have any ideas?"

"Not yet, but I'm thinking that we can find a secluded spot to draw out the Alpha, kill it, then go after all of the other ones. That way we don't put anyone in the village at risk."

"Okay, but if we're busy fighting the Alpha, what will happen if we get attacked by the smaller Grimm?"

"We will just have to find a way to deal with them while we're fighting."

Qrow leaned forward in his chair and looked at Ivory. "Speaking of fighting, I think it would be best if you stayed here during this whole thing."

The old woman scoffed. "Please, I'm not going to sit by and watch while the safety of all of these people is at stake. Besides, I know this land better than either of you. I know where the best spots will be. And it's not like I haven't dealt with these things before. I've been here for a long time."

Qrow opened his mouth to protest, but was silenced by Ivory. "Plus, I still haven't given you all of the details."

"Well, let's get on with it then."

"Sit down. There's a lot to go over."

Ivory stood out of her chair and walked to a small bookcase. After moving a few books, and pages out of the way, she pulled out a very large piece of rolled up paper. She walked over and sat back down in her chair, but pointed to a corner of the room. "Ruby, will you drag that table over here?"

"What? Oh, sure." The huntress made her way to where Ivory was pointing. She found an old table which seemed to be in the same condition as the chairs in the house. It wobbled back and forth while she moved it, but somehow it managed to stay in one piece. After a small struggle, she managed to drag the table between Qrow and Ivory.

"Thank you."

Ivory leaned forward in her chair slightly, placed the paper on the table and began to roll it out. "Now, this is a map of the city. It's not as accurate as it once was, but it will get the job done."

Qrow stared at the map intently. "Okay, talk us through all of this. Where do you think we should try this at?"

The old woman stuck a finger on the map. "This is where we are, it's the village. I think we should try drawing out the Alpha," She began to drag her finger across the old paper until it came to an abrupt stop "here. It's a bit of a walk, but not too far. It's just far enough to keep the village out of harms way."

Qrow studied the map. "That looks like it's… south of here."

Ivory nodded. "That's right."

"So we need to go even deeper into the city."

"Yup."

"Great."

"Oh, don't whine. This area is basically a bowl. Its surrounded by hills and steep rocks. Once something is in there, it's hard to get out."

This made Ruby a little nervous. "What about us?"

"It shouldn't be too hard for us to make it out. We can set up a quick getaway route before things get started."

"Do you have an idea of how to get the Alpha there?"

"Not really. Qrow, you got anything?"

The hunter took a deep breath. "Well, there is one thing I can think of, but it might not work."

"Well, that's better than nothing."

"In certain cases, with certain types of Grimm, the Alpha will respond to lesser Grimm being killed. It's like a sixth sense."

"Does it need to be the same type of Grimm?"

Qrow shook his head, "Nope. Ruby's father and I once managed to bring out an Alpha Beowolf by killing a large group of Boarbatusks and Creeps."

"Okay. Sounds like a plan to me. It's worth a try, at any rate."

"One thing though. When I say a large group, I mean a lot. Several dozens of them over a few days."

Ivory was surprised. "Did you say _days_?"

"Yeah, I did. We had to set up camp in a vacant cave."

"Well..." Ivory let out a long sigh, "if you're willing to do this, I don't care how long it takes. These people have been stuck in this place for too long. They deserve to live the rest of their lives outside of this place."

"Then we start tonight. Do you mind showing us where this place is in person?"

"Not at all, but first I have a favor to ask." Ivory stood out of her chair and grabbed her cane. "The villagers are bound to have a lot of questions and I would rather not keep them in the dark about this."

Qrow nodded. "I understand. Ruby and I will do our best to answer any questions they have."

"Thank you. Think you could do that now? It would be nice to get this out of the way and it will probably make them stop being so suspicious of you two."

"Well, it's not like I have anywhere to be. Ruby, are you ready?"

The whole idea made Ruby nervous, but she knew it needed to be done. "Y-yeah, I'm ready."

Ivory walked to the front door and opened it. As they walked outside, a crowd slowly started to form in front of them.

"Okay, you two. Let's get on with it."

Once all of them were outside Ivory stood in front of the crowd. "Okay everybody. I know you've been wondering why we had hunters here. This man here is Qrow, the girl is his niece, Ruby."

A man stepped up in front of the crowd and came eye to eye with Ivory. "Why are they here?"

"Well, I believe that is a question that should be answered by them." Ivory turned around to the hunting pair. "Which one of you wanna take this one?"

Qrow walked forward until he was beside Ivory. "My niece and I came here on a simple mission. We were sent to investigate some disappearances that have occurred around this area. On our first night here, we encountered something that we were not familiar with. It was very intimidating and we were unsure how dangerous it was. We left the area and returned with reinforcements, which are the Atlesian robots that are by one of the walls of this place."

The man spoke up again. "Well, why are you here now? I assume that you discovered the cause of the missing people is the Grimm around here."

The hunter nodded. "We did, in fact. However, we have decided to change our mission. While it was previously just to find the cause of the disappearances, we have changed it to eliminating the Grimm occupying the area. As hunters, we cannot sit idly by and let people remain in danger while we have the means to change that."

Ruby was incredibly surprised. She had never seen her uncle act this formal or professional before.

The man had a hard expression, but it softened upon hearing Qrow's words. "What do you mean?"

"What I mean is, we will eliminate the Grimm here until none remain. That way, everyone here may leave peacefully. We have no contact with the rest of the world in here, but once we are out I can contact Atlas and get rescue ships here."

A woman stepped forward from the crowd and stood beside the man. "You mean… we'll be able to leave?"

"Yes."

"How long?"

"We're not sure. It will take some time to carry out this mission, as we have limited man power and ammunition, so we will need to conserve our resources. However, I believe that the village will be able to be evacuated within the next few months."

Qrow's words were met with silence for a few moments, but the crowd that was gathered outside quickly erupted in cheers.

The man in front of the crowd stepped closer to Qrow and stuck out his hand. "Qrow, right? I'm Wolfe."

The hunter, in turn, stuck his hand out and accepted the man's greeting. "Good to meet you."

"Thank you for this."

"Nothing to thank me for yet. My niece and I haven't earned it."

Ruby had been standing slightly behind Qrow and Ivory. She wasn't shy, but she was trying not to attract attention to herself. The whole mission was making her very anxious. She was staring at her feet until a shadow covered her, causing her to look up. Her eyes met with bright green ones which belonged to a young lady.

"U-Um, excuse me, miss?"

The sudden appearance of someone in front of her threw Ruby off slightly. "Y-Yes?"

"Hi, my name's Lavender. Is it true? Are you and that man here to get us out of this place?"

"Uh… Well, we're going to do our best..."

Ruby was worried how the woman would accept the answer, but it was met with a smile. "Thank you."

"Y-You're welcome."

The woman then turned to walk away but tapped Wolfe on his shoulder. "I'm going back to the house."

The man turned around and nodded. "Okay, I'll head back with you." Before he left, he turned to Qrow once more. "Thanks again, Qrow."

The pair began walking away from Ivory's and the rest of the crowd slowly followed suit.

Once the crowd was gone Ivory turned to the hunting duo. "Okay, that's done. Now let me show you that spot."

They made their way to the wall and climbed over it. Ivory needed some assistance, but the Paladin had no trouble getting her safely over the wall.

"Okay, we need to head out there." Ivory pointed towards an area in the distance that seemed to be covered in rocks and fallen trees.

Ruby followed her finger and began to get even more nervous. "Well… that place looks friendly..."

"It's not as bad as it seems. It just doesn't have the light of the village so it seems way darker."

"If you say so..."

"Okay, let's go… and keep your wits about you. It's still midday, but only the Mistrae hunt at night. Don't forget about other Grimm."

After walking for about twenty minutes, but what seemed like hours, the group arrived at the location Ivory had pointed out on the map.

It was like she said. It looked like a bowl in the landscape. It rose up slightly, but it was really just a giant hole surrounded by jagged rocks and slippery moss.

Ruby stepped closer and peered over the edge. "Wow… that's a big hole."

"Yup, and I think it would make the best place to fight the Alpha at."

Qrow joined Ruby by the edge and took a long look at the surrounding land. "It definitely looks promising. How would we get out if things got hairy?"

These trees fell down before the city was attacked. They are planted good and deep in the ground here. If we attach some ropes and harnesses to them, we shouldn't have any problem."

"Okay, I guess this is as good a place as any."

"So, if we need to kill Grimm to bring out the Alpha, we should do it here, right?"

Qrow stepped back from the edge of the hole and sighed. "Yeah, that's right."

"So, when do you two want to get this going?"

"...Tonight." Qrow turned to his niece. "Ruby, get everything ready. Our new mission just started."

* * *

 **Hey everyone! Long time, no update. Pleasedon'thateme. It hasn't been very easy to write lately. All of the sudden I had like fifteen different things going on and it became difficult to actually find time to write. I know I said I would start uploading faster, but it just didn't work out this time. However, everything should be taken care of now, so I should be able to get back to a regular upload schedule.**

 **Also, I know this was a long wait for another flashback chapter, and I'm sorry about that. I really want to write more for the present day Ruby, but I feel like the mission is something that I can't leave and come back to later. I want to finish it. Don't worry, it will be over very soon and the story will get back to being focused on Ruby and Weiss.**

 **Thanks for sticking with the story so far, it means a lot. Seriously. Please, follow, favorite, and review, and I'll see y'all in the next chapter!**

 **:D**


	14. A Grimm Past: Part 4

"So, what happened after you figured out how you were going to do everything?"

"We prepared ourselves and we fought... for a long time. We started to think that the Alpha would never show up and that Uncle Qrow's plan was a bust."

Weiss pulled Ruby closer. "Was it?"

Ruby's head dropped slightly. "... No. It worked alright."

"Well, that's a good thing, right?"

"You would think."

* * *

A month had passed since Ruby and Qrow had started trying to bring out the Alpha Mistrae. They killed all of the Grimm that showed themselves. One night, however, they were forced to retreat.

While dealing with a pack of Beowolves, a Mistrae had shown up. It didn't have a mask like other Grimm. It was as black as night, and its appearance was that of a large panther. It looked to be about four feet tall on all four legs. It also seemed to weigh a lot more than it should have, given it's build and frame. Everytime it took a step, the ground beneath it sank almost like a two-thousand pound weight had been put on it.

It didn't fight the hunters at first. It simply stood and watched as they fought the other Grimm, until Qrow saw it. He had to do a double take to make sure he wasn't seeing things. What caught his eye was its teeth. It let out a snarl, and its teeth reflected the faintest of moonlight that managed to punch its way through the dark atmosphere that surrounded the area.

"Ruby, we need to go."

The huntress made quick work of a Beowolf she was fighting and turned to her Uncle. "What? Why?"

Qrow pointed a finger towards the Grimm. "Look."

Ruby was immediately stricken with fear. "I-Is that..."

"Yeah, it's a Mistrae. Let's get out of here. We're not ready to fight the small ones yet."

"Well how-" Ruby was cut off by a Beowolf lunging at her. She dodged its attack and sank Crescent rose deep into its back. She pulled the trigger and tugged on the handle of her weapon, slicing the creature in two. After it started disappearing, she turned back to her Uncle. "How do we know it's not the Alpha?"

"We don't, but I have this feeling that if it was the Alpha, we would know it. It's just sitting there. It's not attacking us."

"I don't know... It's watching us kind of intensely... I mean, just look at it's eyes."

"Ruby, don't!"

The huntress instantly realized her mistake. _"Damn it, I forgot!"_

It was too late. The pair watched as the Grimm slowly morphed into Ruby. Frist it took the shape of her body and wardrobe. Then, it stuck out its hand as an exact copy of Crescent Rose appeared out of thin air.

Ruby was in disbelief. "Wha... How can it even do that?"

Qrow rushed to his niece and pulled her cape towards him. "I don't think we want to stick around to find out. C'mon."

The pair started running towards the village, until they heard a gunshot. They turned around and saw the Mistrae flying towards them with its version of Crescent Rose trailing behind it, continuously firing rounds to keep its momentum.

"Ruby, look out!"

The Mistrae swung its scythe directly between the two hunters. They separated and it quickly set its sights on Ruby. It fought exactly the same way she did. Every time she would try to attack, it would parry with ease.

Ruby found a place to steady her footing and locked scythes with the Grimm. The Mistrae may have copied her appearance and fighting style, but when it came to strength, it was far superior to her. It slowly began to push her back, a smirk slowly spreading on its face. Then, Ruby was shocked as she heard her own voice without opening her mouth.

"What's wrong, _Ruby_? Are you having trouble?"

The next thing that escaped it's mouth was a scream as Qrow brought his sword down on the creatures neck.

"Ruby, let's go! Now!"

"Y-Yeah!"

The huntress sprinted away from the Grimm, which was now laying on the ground. As they headed back towards the village, they heard it croak out something that sent chills up Qrow's spine. "U-Uncle Qrow... Why... Why would you do this to me? Come back..."

They quickly jumped over the wall of the village and ran to Ivory's house, not looking back one step of the way.

Qrow busted through the door of Ivory's house, almost breaking it off of it's hinges.

"Ivory, there's one out there!"

The old woman was sitting in a chair reading a book. It slowly fell to the floor as she stood up, a worried expression on her face. "Did either of you two make eye contact with it?"

Qrow looked down to his niece. "Well, Ruby... She..."

Ivory walked over to the young girl. "Ruby, did you?"

The huntress couldn't make eye contact with Ivory. She felt ashamed that she had forgotten the one rule of fighting the Mistrae. "... Y-Yes... I'm sorry..."

"Relax, I'm not angry, but I am sorry about this..."

The dark-haired girl's head lifted to face Ivory. "About what?" Ruby yelped as she felt a sharp blade run across her arm. "Ow!" She looked to Ivory again, whose face was full of relief now as she watched blood start to come from the fresh wound.

"I'm very sorry, Ruby, but I had to be sure. Like I've said before, Mistrae don't bleed." The old woman handed Ruby a small cloth to wrap around her arm.

The huntress took the make-shift bandage and began tying it around the cut. "You could have at least warned me, you know."

Ivory made her way back to her chair and sat down. "I could have, but I didn't want to take any chances. Years of being around these things has made me... on edge."

"Eh, that makes sense. Better safe than sorry, I guess." Ruby finished tying the cloth around her arm and thought to herself, _"A heads up still would have been nice."_

Qrow walked to another chair and sat down. "So, not only have we not found the Alpha yet, but now there's a Grimm out there that looks and sounds just like Ruby. This is bad."

"Well, your plan is all we have to go off of, Qrow. It's better that we keep this up instead of doing nothing."

"I guess you're right." Qrow pulled out his flask and started to take a drink, only to remember what happened last time he tried to drink in Ivory's home. "Sorry, I forgot where I was."

The old woman sighed. "It's okay. Looks like you had a long night. I say you've earned a drink."

Qrow was surprised. "Thanks, Ivory."

"Yeah, Yeah, don't worry about it."

Ruby was still trying to wrap her head around what had happened earlier. Ivory noticed her acting distracted.

"Ruby, you okay?"

The young girl shook her head to try to get some clarity in her mind. "Yeah, I'm fine. It's just... that thing was just like me... It's eerie to fight yourself and to hear your own voice without _you_ actually being the one talking."

Ivory leaned back in her chair. "Believe me, I know the feeling."

"Really? Did one of those things turn into you?"

"Yup, a long time ago. I reckon it's still out there somewhere."

"Well, there's a comforting thought..."

Ivory chuckled. "Hehe, I'm not too worried about it. I doubt something would want to turn into an old woman like me."

Qrow lost track of how much he had been drinking adn before long his flask was empty. "Well, it looks like I'm out of the good stuff. I think I'm gonna head off to bed. Ruby, are you coming?"

"Yeah, that sounds like a good idea." Ruby turned and waved to Ivory. "See you tomorrow. Goodnight."

The woman nodded. "Goodnight, Ruby. You too, Qrow."

The hunter simply threw his hand up while his back was turned as his way of saying goodnight.

The pair made their way through the village, intent on going to sleep as soon as they hit their beds. However, Qrow was stopped by a man.

"Hey, Qrow, you got a minute?"

"Uh, sure. Ruby go on ahead to the house, I'll be there in a few."

"Okay."

Qrow watched Ruby until she was in the house with the door shut. He then turned back to the man. "What can I do for you, Wolfe?"

"Sorry, I know it's late, but I was just wondering if you two had made any progress on the whole evacuation thing."

"Well, honestly, not really. We're trying something, but if it keeps giving the same problem we'll have to think of something else. Don't worry though, we won't leave until everyone here is able to come with us."

"Okay, I was just wondering. Thanks for everything you're doing. It means a lot to the whole village."

"Don't mention it. I couldn't just ignore this place. No one deserves to live their life in constant fear. Is that all you needed?"

"Uh, yeah. Sorry again for stopping you."

Qrow walked past the man, patting him on the shoulder as he walked by. "Don't worry about it. Goodnight, Wolfe."

"Goodnight, Qrow."

The two parted ways and the hunter stumbled into the house he and Ruby were borrowing. As he walked in, he noticed that Ruby was already fast asleep on her bed. She was completely passed out in her hunter gear, combat boots and all.

" _Wow, she might have been more tired than me..."_

Qrow walked to his bed. He laid down andwaited for sleep to take him. It wasn't coming easy for him. _"Why can't I get to sleep? I'm exhausted. This sucks."_ He sat up and looked around the room. _"I guess I should find something to do..."_

* * *

Ruby was the first of the hunting pair to wake up. She groggily sat up in her bed and looked around the room to see of her uncle was awake. As her eyes scanned the room, her gaze drifted to Qrow's bed. It took a minute for her eyes to adjust, due to just waking up, but she quickly noticed that Qrow was still sleeping.

" _Wow, he must have been really tired. He's always up before I am. I suppose I should show him the same courtesy he shows me."_

The huntress got of her bed and made her way across the house to her uncle.

"Uncle Qrow, wake up."

Ruby didn't get a response, so she raised her voice and nudged him slightly with her foot. "It's time to get out of bed."

Qrow simply mumbled and rolled over.

The huntress was starting to get annoyed. "Uncle Qrow! Get up right now!"

Qrow shot up straight. He seemed kind of dazed, but alert. He quickly looked around the room until his eyes met his niece's. "Oh, Ruby." The hunter gave out a humongous, drawn out yawn. "What time is it?"

The young girl shrugged. "No clue. I haven't really been awake that long."

"Great. Let's hope it's not too late in the day."

"I don't think it's that late. It still feels like morning to me."

The hunter got out of his bed and stretched all of hs muscles, letting out a small grunt afterwards. "Well, I guess we should go find out."

Ruby nodded. "Okay. I'm going to Ivory's. I'll meet you there."

"Okay, sounds like a plan."

The huntress walked out of the house, shutting the door behind her. As she walked, her mind began to fill with thoughts of the previous night. _"So... that thing looks like me, acts like me, sounds like me, and fights like me. It even has a copy of Crescent Rose! And we can't kill it because we haven't killed the Alpha yet. What am I supposed to do?"_

As she was losing herself in her thoughts, she stopped paying attention to where she was going and bumped into someone. "Oh, I'm really sorry. I should have been paying attention." Ruby slowly helped the person back up onto their feet. "Oh, Lavender, I didn't realize it was you. Sorry for knocking you over."

The woman brushed herself off and smiled. "It's okay. Are you heading to Ivory's?"

Ruby nodded. "Mhm. How could you tell?"

"I was just guessing. You are headed in that direction, after all."

"Yeah, I was going to go talk to her before tonight."

The happy expression slowly dropped from Lavender's face and was replaced by a nervous one. "Ruby, can I ask you something?"

"Sure, go ahead."

"How is everything going... with your mission? Y'know, getting us all out of here."

Ruby's eyes drifted downward until she was staring at the ground. "Well, it's going way slower than we thought. We're having trouble figuring out how to fix the problems we're having, but don't worry. We aren't leaving until everyone is safe."

The cheerful smile was quickly on Lavender's face again. "Thanks, Ruby. That's good to hear. I guess I'll let you get to Ivory's. It was nice talking to you." Lavender turned and started walking away from Ruby.

"Nice talking to you too, Lavender."

After saying goodbye, Ruby began making her way towards Ivory's again. Before long, she was at the door. She reached her hand out and knocked lightly.

She heard a muffled voice come from in the house. "Come in!"

Ruby opened the door and peeked around the side of it. Ivory was sitting in her rickety chair, but got up when noticed who it was. "Oh, Ruby. Just who I wanted to see."

"You wanted to see me?"

"Yeah, sit down."

".. Okay. Am I in trouble?"

The old woman laughed. "Of course not. I just wanted to talk to you about the mission."

"Oh, what do you want to know?"

Ivory let out a deep sigh and leaned forward in her chair. "Have you and Qrow made any headway whatsoever?"

Ruby shook her head. "Not really. It looks like the Alpha just isn't taking the bait. I'm starting to think that Uncle Qrow's plan won't work."

"I wouldn't be so sure about that."

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"Well, late last night I had a little chat with Qrow. We talked about some interesting things."

"Like what?"

"Well, last night, Qrow couldn't get to sleep, so he decided to leave the village and kill some Grimm."

Ruby's mouth dropped. "Without me?! He could have gotten hurt! What if the Alpha had shown up?!"

Ruby leaned back in her chair. "Relax, I'm sure he could handle himself and gotten out of there if things went south. Besides," Ivory's gaze narrowed. "He mentioned that there was a large group of Mistrae outside. He said that it looked like they were just watching him. They never attacked."

"What happened?"

"He figured he would head back to the village, since he couldn't really kill them. When he started to head back, he heard your voice."

"What? How did he hear my voi-" Ruby had a sudden realization. "The Grimm that changed into me..."

"That's right. He turned around and saw you standing there. He knew that it wasn't you so he headed back to the village, but that leaves us with one problem."

"Which is what, exactly?"

"Ruby, I trust you, and I know I might sound like a paranoid old woman, but I need you to-"

"You need me to bleed, don't you?"

Ivory nodded. "Yes, I'm sorry. Especially since you've already done it once."

"It's okay. It's my own fault for being reckless and messing up."

Ivory handed ruby a small knife. "I don't know if you have any weapons other than that huge scythe, so here."

Ruby took the knife and positioned it over her arm. She sliced her skin very lightly, careful not to go very deep. After a few seconds had passed, blood began to come out of the cut. The young girl handed the knife back to Ivory. "See, I'm still me."

Ivory breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank you. I know it's not easy to do that, because of the whole aura thing."

Ruby was surprised. "You know about aura?"

"Of course. I did tell you I was once a huntress, right?"

Ruby scratched the back of her head and smiled. "Oh yeah, I guess I just forgot, hehe. But yeah, I basically have to turn my aura off to do it. It makes me really tired if I do it too much. The other night I was almost completely drained, that's why you cut me so easily."

Ivory let out a small chuckle. "I'm glad it played out that way. I took a chance and it paid off. Sorry if I freaked you out."

"You just surprised me is all." Ruby repositioned herself in her chair. "So what about that group of Mistrae that Uncle Qrow saw? Did he mention anything else about them?"

"As a matter of fact, he did. He thinks it means the Alpha is actually taking notice; that the plan is working."

"Really? So this hasn't been all for nothing?"

"He doesn't think so, no. He said he thought of something he learned from your headmaster."

"Professor Ozpin?"

"Yup. Something like 'If you're about to start a battle, who do you send first – the flag bearers, or the scouts?' and I thought he made a pretty good point. If the Mistrae were just observing him, maybe they were checking him out for their boss."

"Boss?"

"The Alpha."

"Oh, yeah, duh. Wait, if they're able to cooperate like that... Just how smart are these things?"

Ivory shrugged. "No idea, but they are able to mimic a person perfectly, right down to their speech. I don't know if that is something that comes with the transformation, or something that they have all of the time, but we should assume that they are pretty intelligent."

The idea made Ruby more than a little anxious. "There's a comforting thought."

"I know. It's pretty scary, but as long as you're careful, you two shouldn't have any problems."

Ruby's gaze shifted downward. "Thanks for the support, I guess."

Then there was another knock on the door. Ivory looked toward the direction of the noise. "Come in!"

The door slowly opened and Qrow stepped inside, shutting the door behind him.

"Hey, Qrow. I was just having a little chat with your niece here."

Qrow suddenly looked nervous. "Um... about what?"

Ruby stood up out of her chair and walked over to her uncle. "You went out there by yourself?! Uncle Qrow, I know you're strong, definitely stronger than me, but you could've gotten hurt, or worse!"

"Calm down, Ruby. I would have gotten out if things had got out of hand."

"Just, be more careful."

"Okay, okay. Did Ivory tell you about what else happened out there?"

"Yeah, she told me about the group of Grimm that showed up."

Qrow stopped Ruby short. "Speaking of that," The hunter looked to Ivory. "The usual, I assume?"

"You got it."

Ivory tossed the knife to Qrow, who caught it and made a small cut on his arm. Just like Ruby's, blood began to flow from the fresh wound. "That enough?"

Ivory nodded. "That'll do."

Qrow tossed the weapon back to Ivory, who effortlessly caught and placed it on a small table next to her.

Qrow looked to his niece. "So, did she fill you in on everything?"

"I think so. She told me that you left after the Mistrae showed up."

Qrow's eyes narrowed. "Did she tell you anything else?"

"Yeah... She said that you saw one of them turn into me."

"I did. Which means we need to be extra careful now. Especially since I think the Alpha could show up soon."

"Right. I promise, no more eye contact from me."

Qrow patted Ruby on the head. "Okay, good girl."

"Hey, I'm not a dog!"

The hunter smiled. "Hehe, I know, but it's so much fun to tease you."

Ruby threw his hand off her head and marched back to her chair. She sat down, crossed her arms and pouted. She threw out one arm and pointed to the floor. "You sit on the floor this time!"

The hunter shrugged and laughed. "Fine with me." He walked over and sat on the floor between Ruby and Ivory, his niece glaring at him the whole time. "So, I think the Alpha will show up soon. With that in mind, I think we should head out early to fight Grimm, starting tonight."

"You mean, during the day?"

"Yes. We should try to get as much attention from them as possible. The more we get, the better."

Ruby inched closer to her uncle while still remaining in her seat. "So, when should we leave?"

"Honestly, probably in the next hour or so."

"Wow, that's way earlier than I was thinking..."

"I know, but like I said, I think it would be for the best."

Ruby stood up. "Okay. In that case, I'm going to go back to the house and make sure I've got all of my things ready."

Qrow nodded. "Okay, I'll head that way in a minute."

Ruby walked out of the house and shut the door behind her.

As soon as she left, Qrow turned to Ivory. "I need to ask you a question."

"Okay, shoot."

"Look, I know this will be asking a lot, but I need to know something."

Concern was beginning to spread across Ivory's face. "What's this about, Qrow?"

"I've never fought anything like this before. I'm not sure anyone has in a very long time. If for some reason I don't make it here, I need to know that Ruby will be taken care of."

"Qrow, I... We would have no way to get her out of here. She would be stuck here for the rest of her life."

The hunter shook his head. "No, she won't. Ruby is... special."

"What do you mean?"

"Don't worry about it. I'm not trying to be rude, but it's not my place to talk about that right now. Given enough time, Ruby will be strong enough to leave. I don't know how long that would be, but it will happen. I just need someone to look over her until that time comes."

"Okay... I understand."

"Thank you, Ivory." The hunter stood up and began to walk towards the door. Just before leaving he looked over his shoulder. "Just so you know, that is the worst case scenario. Don't be too nervous about it." He then walked out of the house and shut the door.

* * *

Qrow picked up his sword and slid it into its holster on his back. "Ruby, you got everything?"

"Yup, I'm good to go, whenever you're ready."

"Okay, let's get this show on the road."

The pair headed towards the wall of the village and Qrow stopped at the Atlesian fleet that had accompanied them. "You're coming with us now. Prepare yourselves for combat."

The small army of machines saluted him. "Yes sir."

The group made their way over the wall and headed towards the battleground they had decided on.

Upon reaching it, Ruby looked around. "Soooo, what now?"

Qrow sat down and leaned against a fallen tree. "Now, we wait."

"Wait for what?"

Suddenly, there was a noise behind them. They turned around and a pack of Beowolves lunged at them.

"That."

Ruby and Qrow got into their fighting stances. However, before they could move, the robots began firing at the Grimm. Within a minute, they were dead.

Ruby just stared at the disintegrating corpses in disbelief. "Why haven't we brought them before?"

Qrow shrugged. "You know me, I like a challenge."

Then, another sound. This one seemed like it was coming from two sides. On their left was a huge pack of Beowolves. On the other, a pack of Creeps.

Qrow pointed to the robots. "You guys get the Beowolves. Leave the others to us."

"Yes sir."

The robots fired many bullets into the pack, bringing them down with ease just before the creatures could get within striking distance. Ruby and Qrow dispatched the other Grimm as quickly as they could with them each taking on half of the horde.

Afterwards, the air was filled with the dust of the disappearing Grimm.

"Well, they're out in force today. What's got them so riled up?"

As Ruby finished talking, they heard a loud noise coming from a good distance behind them. As Qrow saw what approached them, he quickly transformed his sword into it's scythe form.

"Shit."

Ruby followed his gaze and saw the creature. "Is that..."

"Yeah, it's a Goliath. And it's a big one."

"That's just great." Ruby quickly loaded a fresh clip into Crescent Rose. "Let's do this."

"Right." Qrow turned around to face the machines. "Lay down cover fire. Your bullets wont hurt it that much, but it will slow it down."

"Yes sir."

The hunting duo charged the Goliath, their scythes trailing behind them, firing round after round to build up their speed. They both arrived at opposite sides of the Grimm, right under it's knees.

"Ruby!"

"I know!"

They both swung the weapons into the sides of the beast's front legs. They then fired several shots into its back legs before pulling away and jumping to the side.

The Goliath let out an incredibly loud roar and fell to the ground, unable to walk on its front legs and its back ones slowly failing. The Atlesian army was also firing a torrent of bullets into the front of the creature. It was helping more than Qrow thought it would, as it was hindering the Grimm's vision.

"Ruby, get onto it's back!"

"Got it!"

Ruby fired Crescent Rose and used its momentum to land on the creatures back, just behind its head.

"You ready?!"

"Go for it!"

Ruby jumped high into the air, using her gun's propulsion to give her more height, then spun downward, sinking her scythe deep into the Goliath's neck. At the same time, Qrow ran under it until he reached the nape of its neck. He swung his weapon upward pushing it into the creature until his blade almost wasn't visible.

"Now!"

They both fired a shot out of their weapons, using the extra force to slice deep gashes into the creatures neck.

The Goliath let out another roar, then collapsed. Ruby quickly jumped off the creature and landed on the ground. After a few seconds had passed, the Grimm's corpse began to evaporate.

Ruby stabbed her scythe into the ground and leaned against it. "Phew, that was tough. It feels good to have a breather." She took a deep breath and looked up towards the sky, expecting to see some form of light. "Hey, Uncle Qrow, was it always this dark?"

"What are you talking about?" The hunter looked up. As he did so, they heard another loud noise.

"Whoa, what was that?"

Qrow turned to see the source of the new sound. In the distance, he could see it. A lumbering creature that looked like a massive panther, covered in bones. It was almost as if the creature's skeleton was on the outside of its body. It was at least twelve feet tall. With every step it took towards them, Qrow's fear intensified.

"Oh... shit."

Ruby looked towards the creature in the distance, then to her uncle. "What the hell is that thing?!"

Qrow swallowed hard and took a deep breath. "It's the Alpha."

* * *

 **Hey everyone! I told you I would have chapters out faster now, hehe. I hope everyone likes it! I know flashbacks don't exactly have the best reputation in some places, but I felt that this one was needed and I wanted to do it right. I appreciate everyone sticking around even though it's been such a long time of almost non-stop flashbacks without much present-day story. Rest assured, the flashbacks will soon cease and, I promise, no more after this one. :)**

 **Also, I should be able to get back to my one chapter a week schedule starting today, so no more waiting a month! (Yay!)**

 **Thanks for reading, and please follow, favorite, and review.**

 **I'll see y'all in the next chapter!**

 **:D**


	15. A Grimm Past: Part 5

Ruby was almost speechless. "T-The Alpha?"

Qrow nodded, not taking his eyes off of the massive Grimm before them. "Yeah. That's it alright."

"I didn't think it would be so... big..." The young girl was terrified.

Qrow's gaze narrowed on the Mistrae. "Ruby, get ready."

The huntress pulled her scythe out of the ground and clenched it tightly. "How are we even supposed to fight that thing?"

"We'll just have to figure it out as we go along."

"That doesn't sound like a very good strategy."

The hunter looked to his niece. "You got any better ideas?"

"Okay. Fair point." Ruby couldn't stop looking at the Grimm. She was looking for something, anything that could be used against it as a weakness. "Where should we even start? That thing is huge..."

Qrow was unsure and, for the first time in a while, he was scared. But he didn't want to let his fear to get to Ruby. "I don't know. I suggest we start at the legs, just like the Goliath."

Ruby nodded. "Okay. Ready when you are."

"Well, we should approach this thing carefully. We're not entirely sure of what its capable of. Plus, we do-"

Qrow was cut off by the Grimm suddenly roaring. The noise seemed like it echoed through the entire landscape. As they watched it, it quit roaring and began charging at them.

" _Damn, no time for a plan of attack."_ Qrow motioned for the soldiers to attack it. "Shoot that thing! Don't stop until you run out of ammo!"

"Yes sir!"

"Let's go."

Ruby and Qrow sprinted towards the Alpha, weapons drawn.

As they got closer, they begin firing their weapons, building up momentum. They fire one last time and jump.

"The legs!"

"I got it!"

The hunters swung their weapons full force, only for the Alpha to quickly dodge them and swing at Ruby, hitting her directly and sending her flying backward.

"Ruby!" Even though he took his eyes off the Grimm for less than a second, as Qrow turns back to face it, it strikes him as well, sending him close to where Ruby landed. "Ruby, are you okay?"

The huntress stumbles to her feet. "Yeah, I'm good. It just got one good hit in. Are you okay?"

"Heh, it's gonna take more than that to keep me down."

The robots are shooting continuously at the Alpha, but it seems like they're not even slowing it down.

"Ruby, we need to lead it to the hole!"

"Okay!"

The pair sprinted back to the area that they had set up for, with the Atlesian fleet slowly following them. They stood on the edge of the chasm and turned around. The Grimm was still charging at them.

Qrow motions for the Knights to fall back, but stops the Paladin. "Try to slow that thing down!"

They hear various mechanical noises as the Paladin's legs change shape slightly. Suddenly, it rockets forward towards the Grimm. It stops abruptly and locks blows with it.

Ruby looks on in awe. "Holy crap, that thing might be strong enough to take it!"

The Paladin reaches one of its arms back, a secondary mechanism sliding down from it wrist and covering its hand. It punches the Grimm in the jaw, causing it to stagger. The whole time the Knights are pelting it with a barrage of gunfire.

"Whoo! Get him, guys! I think we can win this!"

The Paladin reaches back for another punch, but as it swings, the Alpha catches the punch in its mouth. It bites down, shattering the Paladins arm.

Ruby's excitement was quickly replaced with fear.

The Mistrae then jolts forward and slams into the Paladin, making it fall to the ground. It then reaches back with one of its front legs and brings it down onto the machine, destroying what was left of it.

It looks at the group of Knights and roars again. However, this time a pack of Mistrae come out from behind it and stand at its sides.

"Oh, you have got to be joking!"

"Ruby, get in the hole, now."

"Y-Yeah."

Ruby and Qrow made there way down the steep wall of the area. They ran to the side farthest from the Grimm and waited.

"Uncle Qrow?"

"Yeah?"

"We've got this... right?"

Qrow smiled. "Of course we do, kiddo. I've gotten out of worse things than this."

As Qrow finishes speaking they turn around. Several parts of the Atlesian Knights tumble down the walls of the chasm and land close to the hunters. As they looked up the see the Grimm jump down into the hole and land with a thunderous 'boom'. It almost felt like an earthquake.

"I know that thing is big, but still, how is it _that_ heavy?!"

"Don't know, don't care. It just needs to die."

The Alpha let out another roar and the Mistrae he had summoned before joined it once more. They were all staring at the hunters. Not a single one of them attacked.

"What are they doing?"

"I don't know, but it's probably not good."

The Alpha snarled and the smaller Mistrae charged at the duo.

"We can't kill them until we take down the big guy! Don't waste your ammo!"

"I know!"

One of the Grimm jumped at Qrow, who swung his scythe into its side, crippling it for the time being. Another one lashed out at Ruby. She parried its attack and swung her weapon down onto its back. After that four Mistrae started to run at them.

"Ruby, no eye contact!"

"I remember!"

However, just before the Grimm managed to reach them, several gunshots came out of nowhere and sent the creatures retreating backward.

"What was that?!"

They heard the sound of dirt and rocks moving behind them. As they turned around, they realized another person had joined them.

"Ivory?!"

"Hi."

"Hi? HI?! What are you doing here?! You should be in the village where it's safe!"

"Not when the lives of my villagers are at stake."

Qrow turned to the old woman. "Ivory, Ruby's right. You shouldn't be here. This is no place for someone like you."

"Someone like me? You better watch who you're talking to, Qrow. I'll have you know I graduated top of my class at Mantle."

She extended her cane out, which quickly transformed into a long lance. At the base of the handle was a small pistol grip. She then stood up straight and stretched her muscles, her joints popping the whole time.

"I might be a bit rusty, but I remember how to fight." Ivory's gaze narrowed on the Alpha. "Okay, you two. Let's go."

The hunters nodded and charged the creature, dodging the attacks from the smaller Grimm along the way.

"Legs!"

The Mistrae brought down one of its legs down on the three, but they quickly dodged it. However, Ivory jumped to the side and leapt onto its arm, making her way up to its head. "You two, get the stomach!"

"Right!"

Ruby and Qrow ran between the Alpha's front legs and postioned themselves underneath it. They both jumped and swung their scythes into the beast, causing it to let out a distressed growl. At the same time, Ivory had reached the top of the creature and pushed her lance into one of the creature's eyes, firing a gunshot out at the same time. " _Well, there's one down."_

In an enraged frenzy, the Mistrae swiped at Ivory, sending her crashing into the ground.

Ruby's face was filled with concern. "Ivory, you okay?!"

"I'm fine, keep fighting!"

Ruby and Qrow then jumped to where the Alpha's front legs joined its torso and sliced into the area.

Then they heard Ivory's voice from below them. "The eye! We need to take care of the other eye!"

Ruby and Qrow looked to each other and nodded, jumping away from the creature and joining Ivory on the ground.

"How do you propose we do that?"

"We wait for it to attack us, you two attack it from underneath and I'll go from the top like last time."

"Okay."

The trio charged the Alpha once again and repeated their previous strategy. Ivory ran up the the arm and plunged her weapon into its other eye, firing her gun again. _"Okay, now it can't change."_

Qrow and Ruby were underneath the beast, but they were towards the back of it this time. They leapt up and sliced its back legs. The trio then regrouped at the front of the creature.

"Okay, so it's blind and can't change. Plus, it won't be standing for much longer. What now?"

Ivory studied the Grimm before her. "We go in for the kill."

The smaller Mistrae looked to the group of hunters and then to the Alpha. Their eyes lingered on it for a few seconds before turning around and running out of the hole.

"What's with them?"

"I guess they didn't want to fight something that put their leader in that kind of condition."

"Okay. Ruby, Qrow, I need you two to get on its back."

"And then what?"

"Just go!"

Qrow snorted. "You're killin' me woman."

Ruby and Qrow ran at the Grimm its blind strikes and leaping on its back. Ivory The ran forward to get underneath the beast. She positioned herself right under its jaw and yelled at the other two. "Okay, attack the top of its head!"

The pair swung their weapon into the Mistrae, while Ivory sank her lance into the bottom of its jaw. _"That should just about do it."_

The Grimm let out a howl of pain and reared up on its back legs. Its limbs could barely support it due to the injuries it had sustained. However, it attacked with one of its front legs blindly, landing a direct hit on Ivory and sent her flying into the dirt wall towards the back of the chasm.

Ruby watched in horror. _"...I-Ivory?"_

Ivory's body slowly slid down the wall and fell down. After hitting the ground, her body did not move.

Ruby was enraged. "YOU BASTARD!"

Qrow reached out his hand towards his niece. "Ruby, wait!"

But it was too late. Ruby had leapt into the air as high as she could, using her gun to gain altitude. She stayed suspended in the air for a brief moment. Her silver eyes flashed white for a split second, and she came speeding down towards the Alpha, activating her semblance. She reached back with her scythe and brought it down on the creatures neck with incredible force, decapitating the creature and shattering Crescent Rose in the process.

As she regained her composure after landing, the beast began to disappear. Remembering what had happened, she ran to Ivory. Qrow simply stood in shock, unsure of what he had just witnessed.

"Ivory! Are you okay?!"

Ruby rolled the old woman over, who was, surprisingly, still alive. "R-Ruby... I... Is it dead?"

"Yeah, we killed it."

"G-" Ivory stopped talking due to the fact that she was now coughing up copious amounts of blood. "Good. That means the village... will be safe."

Qrow joined Ruby at Ivory's side.

"I guess you two were right. I should... have stayed in the village..."

Qrow shook his head. "No, you fought well. You defended your people. Let that thought ease your mind."

Ivory coughed up more blood, but had a smile on her face. "I guess... you're right. At least I could save... people this time..."

Tears started to form in Ruby's eyes. "Ivory... thank you for helping us. Without you, I don't know what we would have done."

Ivory chuckled and placed her hand on top of Ruby's head. "No, thank you. You too, Qrow. If you two hadn't shown up, the village wouldn't have been saved. Thank you for everything. I'm gla-" More blood came from her mouth. "I'm glad you two stayed. Thank you."

Ruby took Ivory's hand and held it in her own. "I'm glad we stayed too."

Ivory tried to sit up, but failed. She collapsed and started coughing up even more blood. "Tell the villagers what happened, they'll want to know."

Qrow nodded. "Of course."

Ivory slowly closed her eyes. "Well, my whole body hurts, and I'm getting pretty tired..."

Ruby was torn apart. Her time with the woman was somewhat brief, but they had gotten closer than she had ever thought they would. "O-Okay... Goodbye, Ivory."

Ivory shook her head. "No, not goodbye. Goodnight." With that Ivory's entire body relaxed as her breathing slowed quickly before eventually stopping all together.

Qrow knelt down beside his niece, who was still holding the old woman's hand. "Ruby, We should get back to the village. We don't know if the other Grimm will show up or not."

It was hard for Ruby to talk between crying and sniffling. "I know."

The hunter stood up and snaked his arms around Ivory, picking her up bridal style. "It's gonna be a challenge getting out of here like this, but it's doable."

"Thank you, Uncle Qrow."

"No problem, kiddo."

They slowly made their way out of the whole and started walking back to the village. Ruby said nothing the entire way there. After managing to get over the wall, they ran into Lavender and Wolfe.

Lavender greeted them with a smile. "Hey, you tw- Oh my god, Ivory!"

The pair ran over to the hunters. "What the hell happened?"

Neither one of them could make eye contact with the two people in front of them. Ruby wasn't even willing to speak, so that responsibility fell on Qrow. "An Alpha Grimm. She was caught off guard and took a direct hit."

"What about those machines you had?"

"Destroyed. They never stood a chance."

"Damn it... Why was she out there in the first place? I saw her leave the village earlier, but I had no idea what she was doing."

"We were just as confused as you. She showed up while we were fighting the Alpha. Actually, she held her own very well. She was a strong fighter, until the very end."

Wolfe's gaze was fixed on Ivory's lifeless body. "Forgive me, but, that doesn't make me feel much better."

Qrow shook his head. "It wasn't supposed to, but she wanted me to tell everyone what happened, and that's it. She fought well and we won because of what she did. She saved all of you."

Tears had begun to stream down Lavender's face. She placed her hand on Wolfe's shoulder and grabbed his attention. "Hey, everyone else needs to know. I'll go tell them, they shouldn't see her like this."

"Okay, that's probably for the best." Wolfe then turned back to Qrow as Lavender left. "Qrow, what are you two going to do now?"

"I'll get to that in a bit. We need to do something about this whole situation first."

"Yeah, you're right. C'mon, I know what to do. Follow me."

* * *

That night, a funeral was held for Ivory. After the impromptu service was over, Qrow gathered the village together.

"I didn't know Ivory very well or very long, but I can say this with confidence: She was one of the most ineresting and bravest women I have ever met. It was a privelege to meet her, and I will never forget her. That being said, starting tomorrow, my niece and I will hunt down the remaining Grimm in the area and destroy them. Everyone will be able to leave. I don't know how long it will take, but we won't leave until everyone else can do so safely. This is a tradgedy, but Ivory was happy as she passed. She saved the village, never forget that."

Qrow stepped away from the group and Ruby joined him. Everyone paid one last glance at Ivory before burying her and heading solemnly to their homes.

Sleep did not come easy for Ruby and Qrow that night, but eventually, it did take them. Ruby slept in late the next day, before Qrow woke her up.

"Ruby, it's time to get up."

The huntress sat up slowly. "Huh?" She rubbed her eyes and let out a loud yawn. "Oh, yeah. I'm up."

"Are you ready for today?"

Ruby turned to face her uncle. Her expression completely changed and her gaze was burning with an unstoppable drive to finish the mission and avenge Ivory. "Yeah, let's kill those damn things."

* * *

"And that's basically everything that happened. More stuff happened after we killed the Alpha, but I can talk about that later."

Tears had began to form in Weiss' eyes. She hugged her girlfriend tight, feeling herself never wanting to let go. "Ruby, I'm so sorry. I had no Idea what it was like. That's awful."

"It's okay, Weiss. I wanted to tell you. I figured that somebody should know and I trust you."

"But what about the rest of the Grimm? What happened with those?"

Ruby voice grew cold. "We hunted them down and killed every last one. It wasn't easy and it took forever, but we did it. I didn't get away cleanly though. I've got these things as a permanent reminder of what happened." The younger girl pulled up her sleeves to reveal at least a dozen scars littering her arms. "I'm sure you've noticed them by now. This is what happens when you fight Mistrae. Uncle Qrow has quite a few too."

Weiss ran her hand over the marks. "Well, they also serve as a reminder that you saved a whole village, don't they?"

Ruby shrugged. "I guess. I've never thought about it like that before."

"Oh, what happened to your scythe? You told me you broke it."

"Yeah, I did, but the next day me and Uncle Qrow went back to that hole and I picked up most of the pieces. I was able to fix it up enough to hunt Grim with, but I wasn't able to completely fix it until we made it back to the safehouse."

"Oh." Weiss tried changing the subject to get Ruby's mind off of her mission. "Did you add anything to it?"

Ruby's attitude immediately changed. "Oh, man, did I ever. I can't wait to show you what it can do now!"

The heiress smiled. "Well, maybe you can show me tomorrow?"

"I would like that a lot." Ruby turned around to face Weiss and pulled her into a deep kiss. They separated and looked into each other's eyes. "Thanks, Weiss. For listening."

"You're welcome. Do you feel like going back inside now? It's pretty chilly out here today."

Ruby smiled and nodded. "Yeah, but can we go back to the dorm? I'm not ready to face Professor Ozpin and Uncle Qrow yet. I'll need to think up an apology first."

"Of course. Let's go."

The pair made their way back into the school and headed towards the dorm. As they walked through the door to their room, they were greeted by Blake and Yang.

The blonde immediately ran up to her sister and hugged her. "Ruby! Are you okay? Why would you just run off like that?"

"I'm okay. And I'll explain everything later, but I would rather not talk about it right now."

"Okay, that's fine, but don't ever scare me like that again!" Yang released her sister and turned to Weiss. "So where was she?"

"She was on the balcony. I had a hunch that she would be there."

Yang walked over to the heiress and embraced her. "Thank you, Weiss. I'm glad that you found her."

Weiss was caught off guard by the sudden physical contact. "Uh... it's no trouble. I wanted to find her as much as you did."

Blake, who was sitting on her bed, got up and walked over to the group. "So, is everything okay now?"

"Yeah, but I have one thing left do."

"Which is?"

"I have to apologize to Uncle Qrow and Professor Ozpin. But I don't even know where to start."

Weiss spun Ruby around to face her. "Don't worry about that. You are under a lot of stress right now. You should rest."

Ruby suddenly remembered that they had been in the middle of class when they had been called to Ozpin's office. "B-But I still have a few classes left. I can't ju-"

The white-haired girl pushed her finger to Ruby's lips. "Nope. No arguments. I'll take care of everything."

Ruby just quietly nodded.

"Good. Stay here until we all get back. If you need me, send me a message on my scroll. I will get here as fast as I can. I only have one class left so I won't be gone too long. I'll see you when I get back."

"Thanks, Weiss." Ruby leaned forward and gave her girlfriend a quick peck on the lips and smiled. "I'll be here when you get back."

Weiss blushed and turned around to leave the room with Blake and Yang following her. As soon as the door shut behind them, Yang began questioning Weiss.

"What did she say? What the hell is going on with her?"

The heiress shook her head. "Look, I know you're worried about her, but it's not my place to talk about it. Just know that she is really stressed out, but is coping well under the circumstances."

"C'mon, Weiss. Just tell me something!" She spun her head around and faced the faunus beside her. "Blake, help me out here!"

The dark-haired girl stared straight ahead of her. "Yang, she's right. Ruby will tell us in her own time. Don't worry about it too much. She'll be okay."

"Aren't you at least a little curious about it?"

"Of course I am, but there is nothing we can do about it right now, so I see no need in fretting over it."

The blonde sighed. "Ugh... I hate it when you're right."

The three of them reached an area of the school where several hallways intersected and parted ways, each going to different classes.

* * *

Ruby laid down on the bed her and Weiss had been sharing and stared at the bottom of the one hanging above her, letting her mind wander. It had been about thirty minutes since her team had left for their classes.

" _I wonder when they'll get back, it's pretty boring just waiting here. I guess I could think about that_ _apology r_ _..."_ Ruby shook her head. _"Nah, Weiss told me not to stress over that. But what else can I do? I told her that I would stay here. Ugh, this sucks."_

As she was trying to think of different ways to survive her boredom, she heard a knock on the dorm's door. She sat up on the bed and hung her legs off the side of it. "Who is it?"

"It's Pyrrha. May I come in?"

Ruby hopped off of the bed and opened the door. "Sure! I could use some company."

Pyrrha smiled and stepped into the room. "So how has your first day of classes been?"

"Weeeeeelll... It's been a little hectic."

"Really? I'm sorry to hear that. Is something wrong?"

Ruby shook her head. "Nope. Everything's fine. I just needed to figure out a few things."

"Oh, well that's good."

The two stood there in an awkward silence for a few moments until Pyrrha spoke up. "So, I assume you're wondering why I came here."

Ruby shook her head. "Not really, I was just happy to have someone to talk to, hehe. It's been pretty boring here, just waiting for Weiss to get out of class."

"Speaking of class, don't you have one right now?"

"Yeah, but... it's a long story."

"Oh, I see. Well, I came here looking for Jaune. Have you seen him?"

"No, but why would you look here for him?"

The redhead crossed her arms and an annoyed look appeared on her face. "Because he's hiding from me. We're suppose to train together today, but he is trying to avoid it. I'm checking everywhere."

Ruby let out a small giggle.

"What are you laughing about?"

Ruby waved her hand dismissively. "Oh, nothing. It's just kinda funny to me how you're tracking him down is all. It makes me think of a hunter stalking their prey. Good luck finding him."

Pyrrha smiled. "Thanks. I'll see you later."

"Okay. See ya, Pyrrha."

The redhead walked out of Team RWBY's dorm and gently shut the door, leaving Ruby alone in the room.

Ruby stared at the closed door. _"... I wish Weiss' class would hurry up and end. I'm so bored!"_

As if on cue, Weiss opened the dorm's door and stepped through. Ruby looked at her girlfriend with excitement. "You're back!" She ran to Weiss and hugged her, picking her up off the ground.

"Ruby, I was only gone for one class! You're acting like you haven't seen me in days! Put me down!"

The younger girl sat her down and looked at the heiress with her puppy dog eyes. "Sorry, Weiss. I was just bored and I got really happy when you came back."

Weiss' expression turned from annoyance to embarrassment, with a light shade of red slowly appearing on her face. "I-It's okay, I'm not mad. Just warn me next time..."

Ruby smirked. "Okay! Warning!"

"Wha-"

Before Weiss could get a word out of her mouth, Ruby had once again embraced her. However, this time she restrained herself and let her girlfriend's feet remain on the ground, much to Weiss relief.

Weiss returned the hug, accepting the fact that there was no getting out of it. "I'm glad that you're happy to see me. Sorry I made you stay in the dorm, but I didn't want you stressing yourself out over anything."

Ruby ended the embrace and smiled at her. "I know. You were just looking out for me. Thank you."

Weiss let out a sigh. "Well, all of my classes are over. What would you like to do?"

Ruby tapped a finger on her chin for a few seconds. "Do you feel like watching a movie? We've got a few around here that I've never seen."

The heiress smiled. "That sounds good."

"Awesome! You get the bed ready and I'll get the movie!"

"Okay."

* * *

Blake and Yang had met up after their classes had ended and began to make their way to their room. They reached the dorm, but as Blake reached out to open the door, Yang stopped her.

"Blake, wait. Do you hear voices in there?"

"Yeah, but I assume Ruby and Weiss are in there."

The blonde shook her head. "No, it sounds like more people than just those two."

Blake raised an eyebrow. "... And? They're probably just watching a movie."

"Oh... Yeah... I didn't even think of that."

The faunus rolled her eyes. "You're so clueless."

They opened the door and saw the source of the noise. Ruby had set up Yang's projector again and started a movie. Weiss' bed had been pulled into the middle of the room to sit directly in front of the movie. The pair on the bed quickly caught Yang's attention.

At some point in the movie, Weiss and Ruby had fallen asleep. They had stacked pillows behind them on the bed and Weiss was sitting upright, leaning into them. She had Ruby's head in her lap and Ruby had her arms around Weiss' waist. The heiress also had one of her hands entangled in Ruby's hair and both of them had smiles on their faces.

Yang softly nudged Blake in the ribs. "Blake, look at them. Don't they look cute?"

"Well, they look happy."

A devilish grin began to appear on the blonde's face. "You know what this means, right?"

"Um... no?"

"Picture time! Again!"

Blake let out a heavy sigh. "...Oh boy."

* * *

 **Hey people! Man, I'm finally done with the flashback. Honestly, I bit off more than I could chew with this thing. I never intended for it to be this long, but when I realized how much story it was going to take up, it was too late to stop it. If I had known how long it would take from the beginning I would have approached it differently. I'm happy I finished it though. I really wanted to write more for the present day and I'm sure a lot of you wanted me to finish this whole thing, haha.**

 **I hope everyone likes it! Please follow, favorite and review. It lets me know that people like my story so far.**

 **Well, that's all I have to say for now. I'll see you guys in the next chapter!**

 **:D**


	16. Apologies

Weiss and Ruby were standing outside of Ozpin's office. Ruby was incredibly nervous. She didn't want to face her headmaster and her uncle after blowing up in their faces the last time she saw them.

"Ruby, you're going to have to go in there at some point."

"I know, but I'm so nervous. They're both probably mad at me. What if Uncle Qrow yells at me? Or what if Professor Ozpin expels me?"

Weiss placed her hands on Ruby's shoulders and locked eyes with her. "Based off of what you told me, your uncle should understand why you acted the way that you did. Plus, there's no way Ozpin would expel you over something like this. You just need to relax."

Ruby took a deep breath. "Thanks for coming with me."

The heiress smiled. "You're welcome. Now get in there. I'll be out here when you're done."

The younger girl nodded and turned around to face the door that led into the office. She slowly pushed it open and walked inside.

Ozpin, Qrow and Glynda were sitting around the desk in the center of the room. Ozpin noticed the huntress walk in and turned to the woman sitting to his right. "Glynda, would you mind giving Miss Rose, Qrow and I a moment alone?"

"Of course, sir. I'll be outside." As the older woman walked by Ruby, she smiled. "Hello, Miss Rose."

"Hi, Professor Goodwitch." Ruby's eyes followed her until she exited the room. Then, she turned back to face the two people she came to see. "H-Hello."

Ozpin placed his elbows on his desk and interlaced his fingers together. "Good evening, Ruby. Is there something I can help you with?"

"Actually, professor… I came to apologize… to you and Uncle Qrow."

Ozpin raised an eyebrow. "For what, exactly?"

"For the way I acted the other day. I was out of line and I-"

Qrow cut her off. "Ruby, you don't have to apologize. I knew it was a touchy subject to bring up and I told Oz all about it. We didn't know what to expect, but we figured you probably wouldn't take it very well. So, there's nothing to apologize for."

"But I-"

Ozpin had interrupted her this time. "Miss Rose, it is clear to me that you are not ready to follow up on your previous mission. From what Qrow has told me, I completely understand why. There is no need for you to worry. We do need someone to go back, and we still believe that the best partners would be you and Qrow, but if you truly wish to not return, you will not be forced to."

Ruby stared at the floor in front of her. "T-Thank you, professor."

Qrow took a sip from his flask and walked over to his niece, placing a hand on her head and ruffling her hair. "Told you that you didn't need to apologize. Now, get out of here. I bet your girlfriend is worried."

Ruby looked up at her uncle. "What? Girlfriend? Psh… That's not… I mean… I don't..."

"You'll have to try a lot harder than that to fool me. Now go on, and tell the heiress I said hi."

Ruby nodded and made her way out of the office. As she walked out of the room, she noticed Weiss and Glynda standing side by side. The teacher was the first to see her.

"Oh, Miss Rose. I just had an interesting chat with Miss Schnee here."

Ruby looked at her girlfriend and noticed that her gaze was cast downward and she had a slight tint of red on her face. It made the young leader slightly nervous. "A-About what, exactly?"

The blonde teacher simply smiled. "Nothing important. Have a good day." She stepped past ruby and opened the door to the office, but turned around before heading inside. "You two make a very cute couple, by the way." She then walked into the room and shut the door.

Ruby stood still, mouth hanging open. She turned around to look at Weiss, who was staring at the ground and blushing furiously. "Weiss, what did you two talk about?"

"N-Nothing. Let's go back to the dorm."

The younger girl stepped forward and grabbed the heiress by her shoulders and forced her to look into her eyes. "Weiss?"

"Yes?"

"Answer the question."

Weiss gulped. "W-Well, Professor Goodwitch came outside while you were in there and we started talking. During our conversation I _may_ have let slip that we were dating..."

Ruby stood back, crossed her arms and smiled. "Wow, you're not usually the one that openly talks about us like that."

"Well, we were talking about relationships and it just kinda slipped out. You're not mad?"

"Of course not. Why would I be mad?"

"I just thought you might be, since I just told a teacher that we were dating."

Ruby scoffed. "I would never be mad over something like that. Besides, Uncle Qrow knows, so I bet a lot of the teachers already know too. That man can't keep a secret to save his life."

"Your uncle knows? How?"

The younger girl shrugged. "No idea. It surprised me too. I guess he just picked up on it somehow."

"Well, I'm glad you're not mad. Do you want to head back to the dorm?"

Weiss' question was answered with a loud grumble coming from Ruby's stomach. "Um, actually, do you think we could go to the cafeteria first?"

The heiress chuckled lightly. "Sure, come on, you dolt."

As they made their way to the cafeteria, Weiss started asking Ruby a few questions. "So, what did Ozpin and Qrow say about the whole thing?"

"They weren't even angry, They said that they understood why I acted the way that I did. It really surprised me."

"Did they say anything else?"

"Well… they said that if I really didn't want to go back to that place, then they wouldn't force me to."

"Really? That's good."

Yeah, I thought so too." Ruby's gaze drifted downwards slightly and her paced slowed. "But..."

Weiss raised one eyebrow. "But what?"

"If something else is happening in there, I feel like I should go check it out. It was mine and Uncle Qrow's mission, so we should see it through to the end."

"Ruby, you don't need to do that. You've put yourself through enough already. Qrow can get someone else to help him."

"Yeah… maybe..."

Weiss watched her girlfriend closely. She was staring at the ground and was walking so slowly that she had almost come to a complete stop. She placed a hand on her shoulder and pulled her into a hug. "Besides, we don't need to worry about that right now. Let's go get something to eat, okay?"

Ruby smiled. "Okay. Thanks."

* * *

Ruby pushed through the door of Team RWBY's dorm and collapsed onto Weiss' bed. "So… full..."

Weiss walked to the bed and sat down next to her leader. "That's because you ate too fast. I told you to slow down and let your food settle before you went back for seconds… and thirds… and fourths."

"Yeah, yeah, I get your point."

Yang was laying on Ruby's bed and hung her head off the edge to look at her Ruby. "What's wrong, sis?"

Weiss answered before Ruby could open her mouth. "Your sister decided to gorge herself on food at the cafeteria. Now, she has a stomach ache. I'm not sure if it's from all of the food she ate, or the mountain of cookies she practically inhaled."

Ruby let out a long breath. "… It was worth it."

Her girlfriend rolled her eyes. "Dolt."

Yang hopped off of the bed she was hanging from and sat down next to her sister with enough force to shake the bed slightly, earning an uncomfortable grunt form Ruby. "You know, it sucks that you don't feel very good right now."

Ruby managed to sit up slightly to look at the blonde. "Why's that?"

"Well, because now I almost feel bad about doing this." Yang threw one of her legs over her sister and straddled her waist. She then dug her fingers into Ruby's sides and started tickling her.

Ruby squirmed and screamed. The noises coming from her mouth were a mixture of laughter and pleading. "Yang! Stop! Please! Hehehe… You know I'm… HAHAHA… You know I'm ticklish! Stop or I'm gonna puke on you!"

Blake was sitting in her bed reading a book, but her ears twitched a little upon hearing the mention of vomit. "Yang, stop attacking your sister. If she throws up, you're going to be the one that has to clean it up."

"Aw, you're no fun, Blake." Yang relented and moved off of Ruby.

After her sister's onslaught, Ruby laid still, breathing heavily. "Oh man, I thought I was gonna die."

Weiss stood up off the bed and pointed to Yang. "You know, if she had thrown up, I wouldn't have forgiven you for at least a week. That's MY bed."

"Sorry, Weiss. It won't happen again." Even though she was apologizing, Yang was laughing.

"See that it doesn't." The heiress walked over to her dresser and pulled out a set of clothes. "Well, I need a shower."

As Weiss made her way to the bathroom door, Yang piped up. "Hey, I bet Ruby could use a shower too. Why don't you let her join you?"

Weiss started blushing so hard that she could swear her entire body was red. "D-Don't say such ridiculous things!"

"Oh, come on, it was funny!"

"It most certainly was not! Aren't I right, Ruby?" She looked to her girlfriend who had her face buried in her crimson hood, hiding it from Weiss. Her face was almost as red as her cloak. The only thing Weiss could hear was a muffled 'yesh'.

Yang laid back down on Ruby's bed and sighed. "Okay, I'm sorry. It's just fun to tease you two."

"Well it's not very fun for us." Weiss turned and headed into the bathroom, shutting the door behind her.

"She's right, Yang."

The blonde sat up in bed and looked across the room towards Blake. "What do you mean?"

"Look at your sister."

Yang hung her torso off of the bed and noticed Ruby's current state. She had her hood pulled down across her face and had her knees pulled up to her chest. "Oh no, I think I broke her." She climbed off of the bed and sat down next to her sibling. "You okay?"

Ruby nodded.

"Are you mad at me?"

Her head shook this time.

"Are you embarrassed?"

Another nod.

Yang threw an arm around her sister's shoulder and pulled her to her side. "I'm sorry, sis. But it's so much fun to tease you about stuff like this. Do you forgive me?"

"Mm."

"I can't hear you with that hood covering your mouth."

Ruby slowly pulled the hood off of her, showing just how flushed her face was, which Yang noticed immediately. "Wow! Your face is so red!"

"Shut up, Yang! It's your fault!"

"I know, sorry. It's just… you're so red. You almost match your cape!" The blonde couldn't help but grin.

Blake's voice was heard again. "Yang, stop teasing her. She probably feels bad enough with all of that food inside her."

"Okay, okay." Yang jumped back up on to Ruby's bed and laid down.

The room filled with silence for a few minutes, until it was broken by a loud snore coming from the bed above Ruby. She raised her foot up slightly and kicked the underside of the bed. 'Yang, you're snoring."

The blonde mumbled something in her sleep, but didn't stop the verbal torture she was inflicting on Blake and Ruby.

"Well, I can't read like this." The faunus shut her book and stood up. "I'm going somewhere quieter. I'll be back later tonight. Don't wait up."

Ruby nodded. "Okay, see you later, Blake."

As the black-haired girl stepped out of the dorm, Weiss came out of the bathroom. "Where is she heading off to?"

"She said she was going to find somewhere to read."

"Why can't she do that here?"

Ruby stuck out a finger and pointed to the bed above her. "That's why."

Weiss looked up to the bed. Yang's arm was hanging off the side of it, along with one of her legs. Her mouth was open and a small puddle of drool was slowly coating the pillow she was using. She would let out a long, drawn out snore every time she inhaled.

"Oh, that makes sense. Well, I'm through in there, if you need to take a shower or anything."

Ruby stood up and stretched. "That sounds like a good idea." She grabbed a set of clothes out of her dresser and made her way to the bathroom. "I'll be out in a few."

"Okay, I'll be here when you get out, I guess."

"You'd better be."

Weiss crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow. "And if I'm not?"

Ruby smirked. "Then I'll just have to think of some way to make you regret leaving."

The white-haired girl started blushing and looked to the floor. "W-What do you mean by that?"

"Oh, nothing. Nothing at all." Ruby smiled and winked, then turned and walked into the bathroom, closing the door afterward.

Weiss was confused and slightly dazed by the look Ruby had given her. _"What was that about? And what did she mean by 'she would make me regret leaving'?"_ The sound of water running in the bathroom brought her back to reality. _"Well, whatever it is, I can worry about it later. I've got better things to do."_

The heiress walked over to a bag and pulled out a large textbook, some paper and pencils. She brought them over to her bed and spread them out neatly, then sat down and began to study them. " _Okay, there will be a test on Grimm behavior in Professor Port's class in a week. If I study from now until then, I will have enough material covered to get an A plus, easy."_

She poured over the text in front of her for several minutes, but a sound from the bathroom broke her concentration.

"Crap!"

Weiss turned her head towards the door of the bathroom. "Ruby, you okay?"

The door cracked open slightly and Ruby's head peeked out from the other side. "Uh, yeah, but… I kinda forgot to grab a towel."

The heiress closed her eyes and sighed. "You dolt. Hang on, I'll get you one."

"Thanks."

Weiss got off of her bed and walked to a dresser and opened the bottom drawer. It was empty. "Um, Ruby? We're out of clean towels."

"What? No way. Didn't you wash them, like, a few days ago?"

"No, I didn't. It was Yang's turn."

"Why didn't she clean them?"

"I assume she was too preoccupied poking fun at us and she forgot about it. She can't really do it now either, since she's sleeping."

Then, an idea popped into Weiss' head, making her blush. She walked over to her bed and pulled up a towel that was hanging off of the edge of it. "If you don't mind using one after me… you can have this one." She blushed harder. "It's still a little damp, but it's better than nothing."

"Awesome! Will you bring it here?" Ruby reached her arm out towards Weiss and opened and closed her hand a couple of times.

"Sure." Weiss walked to the bathroom and closed her eyes, holding the towel out in Ruby's direction.

"Uh, Weiss? You're gonna need to get a little bit closer than that. I can't reach it."

The heiress was trying to avoid going any closer to the bathroom, if possible. "Well, I have my eyes shut, just come out here and grab it!"

"I'm soaking wet! Just open your eyes and hand it here, I'm behind the door, so you can't even see anything!"

"Well I _definitely_ won't see anything if I just stand here!"

Ruby shook her head. "Fine, I'll come get it." But as she started to take a step out of the bathroom, a puddle of water that had been slowly forming around her caused her to slip and fall, throwing the bathroom door wide open and causing Ruby to scream. "Ah!"

Hearing Ruby scream made Weiss open her eyes. "Ruby, are you oka-" Weiss immediately shut her eyes upon seeing what she assumed to be part of her girlfriend's backside. Her face was burning up. "Ruby, are you okay?"

She heard a small groan and became worried, but Ruby spoke up. "Yeah, I'm fine. I just slipped."

"I didn't open my eyes!"

Ruby stood up and got back behind the door. "I didn't ask if y-"

"I'm sorry!"

"For what?"

"Opening my eyes and lying about it!"

"What? So… you _did_ open your eyes?"

"It was only for a second! I thought you might be hurt and I got worried!" Weiss' eyes still remained tightly shut.

Now Ruby started blushing. "D-Did you see anything?"

"No! Well, I mean… maybe. But it was an accident!"

"O-Okay… Just give me the towel and we'll forget about it..."

"Here! Sorry!" Weiss threw the towel in Ruby's direction. Once she heard the door shut she opened her eyes. She was trying to focus on what had just happened until she heard Ruby's voice from the other side of the bathroom door.

"Y'know, I don't think I've ever heard you apologize for something so much before."

"Well, I don't think I've done something worth so many apologies before."

Ruby laughed. "Weiss, it's no big deal, really. I know it was an accident."

"That doesn't excuse what I did. I should have kept my eyes shut."

"Come one, you said you were worried about me. I think it's kinda sweet."

Weiss' face slowly turned red again. "Dolt."

The bathroom door opened and Ruby stepped out, fully clothed this time. "Thanks for letting me borrow this." Ruby held the towel out to Weiss, expecting her to take it.

"Well, don't hand it to me. Maybe you should put it with the other dirty ones so your sister doesn't forget to wash them."

"Oh, yeah, hehe." She walked to a basket in the room full of towels and tossed it in. "I guess I'll just wash them for her later."

"Don't worry about it. Let's just forget about this whole thing."

Ruby shook her head. "Not by a long shot."

"What do you mean?"

"You saw me… well, you _saw_ me. I don't think we're quite done yet."

Weiss became nervous. "D-Don't be ridiculous! That only happened because Yang forgot about the towels in the first place!"

Ruby wagged a finger back and forth in front of her face. "Nuh uh uh. What made that happen was the fact that you refused to walk over to me even though I was hidden behind the door. You sure you didn't just want to sneak a peak at me, Weiss?"

Weiss turned away from her girlfriend and crossed her arms. "Of course not!"

Ruby started giggling. "You're a pervert!"

The heiress turned back around and stomped her foot on the ground. "I am not!"

As soon as she finished talking, Ruby ran up and quickly kissed her. She ended the kiss and pulled back with a huge grin on her face. "It's so much fun to tease you."

Weiss rolled her eyes, but smiled. "You sound just like your sister."

Ruby shrugged. "Well, she _is_ my sister. We're similar in a lot of ways."

"As long as you don't develop a habit of punching and breaking everything in sight, I won't complain."

A sudden voice made them both turn around. "Hey, I take offense to that!"

"Yang? I thought you were sleeping."

The blonde let out a huge yawn and stretched her arms above her head. "I was, but I woke up when I heard you two talking. You guys are so cuuute!"

Ruby rolled her eyes and grabbed Weiss' hand. "C'mon, let's go somewhere else so Yang can sleep."

Her sister quickly hopped off her bed and sprang up between the couple, putting her arms around their shoulders. "You don't have to do that. I think I'm gonna go try to find Blake and see if she wants to go get some food. Besides, I bet you two would like some alone time. I'll be back later."

"Thanks, Yang."

"Don't mention it. Just try to be decent when I get back, hehe."

"Yang! You better stop!"

"What's that? I can't hear you over the sound of my awesomeness!" The blonde ran out of the dorm and shut the door.

Weiss and Ruby stared at the door until they heard Yang's footsteps fade away. The taller girl turned to the other. "So what do you wanna do?"

"Actually, Ruby, I would really like to study..."

Ruby sat down on Weiss' bed, crossed her arms and pouted. "That doesn't sound fun."

"Well, theres not much you can do to stop me."

Then, a devilish grin appeared on Ruby's face. "Oh, I bet there is."

"And what exactly would that be?"

Ruby hung her head, propped herself up onto her knees and placed her hands in her lap. She then looked at Weiss with the most pleading expression she had ever put on. She looked like a hurt puppy. Weiss knew she was in trouble.

"Pleeeeeease, Weiss? Can we watch a movie or something instead? We could cuddle and… and… and… cuddle some more."

The heiress couldn't look away. " _...Damn those eyes of hers."_ Weiss sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. "Fine. One movie. Then I want to study a little. I urge you to do the same."

Ruby threw her arms over her head. "Yay! Thank you! Okay, I'll pick a movie and get it ready, you set up everything else."

"Everything else? I can't move the bed by myself, you know."

"Okay, okay. Just let me pick a movie real quick."

"Hurry up, dolt."

Ruby rummaged through a pile of movies and eventually pulled one out. "Let's watch this one!"

"Whatever you want to watch is fine with me."

"Thanks, Weiss." Ruby walked over and gave her girlfriend a small peck on the lips. "Okay, let's get the bed ready."

* * *

Ozpin sat in his office, drinking a cup of cold coffee and looking at a pile of documents on his desk. He was concentrating intently on them, ignoring everything else around him, but a slightly raspy voice brought him back to reality.

"You're up late."

The headmaster lifted his head up to see who was speaking. "Yes, well, these kind of things tend to keep a man awake."

"Oz, we need to tell her."

"I agree, Qrow, but not yet. It's not quite the time."

The hunter walked up to the desk, pulled up a chair and sat down. "I don't want to worry her either, she is my niece after all, but I can't go back there by myself."

Ozpin placed his hands in front of his face and interlaced his finger, resting them under his chin. "You know how unsafe it will be for her to return there."

Qrow nodded. "I know, but you remember what I told you; what happened after we left that place. I don't even think she would have told her friends yet, not even Weiss. We _have_ to go back. And it wouldn't be fair to keep her here if it's true."

"I'm well aware of that. Just… give her time to unwind. She's no doubt uneasy about the whole thing enough already. Let's wait at least a few days, that's all I ask of you."

The dark-haired man pulled out his flask and took a drink. "Whatever you say, Oz. I'll trust your better judgement on this whole thing." The hunter stood up and began to make his way out of the office.

"Thank you, Qrow."

Qrow raised a hand behind him, waving goodbye to the headmaster. "Mhm. See ya." The hunter stepped out of the office, shutting the door behind him.

* * *

 **Another chapter down! I hope you all like it. It feels good to actually be uploading on time, haha. Well, I can't really think of anything else to say... soooooo... yeah, hehe.**

 **Please follow, favorite, and review and I'll see you all in the next chapter!**

 **:D**


	17. Desire

"And just when things started to look bleak, I managed to locate the creature's weak spot! Does anyone care to venture a guess as to what it was?"

Team RWBY was being forced to listen to another one of Professor Port's "riveting lectures". Each of the team members were dealing with it differently. Weiss was being as attentive as possible, though she was slowly falling asleep. Ruby was ahead of her and had fallen asleep on her desk. Blake was simply not paying attention, focusing instead on her book. At least, she was trying to, but Yang was constantly asking her questions about it.

"No one, hm? Well, it was the lower part of its back! Where its spine met its legs! The very same spot that my partner had mentioned!"

As Weiss slowly felt herself begin to lose consciousness, she did the only thing she could think of to stay awake. She raised her hand.

"And just when I lunged to attack th-" The professor noticed the heiress' hand. "Yes, Miss Schnee? Do you have a question?"

"I hate to interrupt you, professor, but I could have sworn that we were supposed to have a test today." The statement was met with several groans from her classmates.

Professor Port raised his eybrows and laughed. "Oh my, I had forgotten about that! I suppose I may have gotten carried away. Thank you for reminding me. Students, to-" He was cut short by the sound of a bell ringing, signaling the end of class. "Oh, that's unfortunate. It seems like the test will have to wait until tomorrow. Have a good day, class."

Blake stood up and began to walk out of the classroom with Yang following close behind, still asking her questions.

Weiss stretched all of her muscles in an attempt to stay awake. She looked towards Ruby and noticed that she was still sleeping. _"Why am I not surprised?"_ The heiress walked over and kicked her very lightly in the leg. "Hey, dolt, wake up. Class is over."

Ruby shook her head smacked her lips a few times in her sleep. "Mmm… I… cookies… nk you..."

" _Stil asleep?"_ Weiss placed her hand on Ruby's shoulder and nudged her. "Ruby, get up."

Ruby laughed, but somehow she was still asleep. "Weiss… stop… there's people around..."

The heiress' face turned slightly red upon hearing her girlfriend talk in her sleep. _"What in the world is she dreaming about?"_ She nudged her again. "Ruby, it's time to wake up."

The leader opened her eyes and let out a humongous yawn. "Weiss? What time is it? Where am I?"

Weiss rolled her eyes. "You're in Professor Port's class. You fell asleep."

Ruby let out another yawn and sat up. She glanced around the room, looking for something. "Where are Yang and Blake?"

"They left a few minutes ago. Blake was trying to read and your sister was pestering her about her book."

Ruby sighed. "That figures. So, this was our last class, right? What do you want to do?"

"Well, I think I've studied enough for any tests we have coming up, so I don't really have anything else to do except maybe train a little bit."

Ruby brought her arms in front of her chest and started poking two fingers together as a shade of red slowly creeped up her face. "How would you feel about… going on a… date?"

Weiss was surprised by the sudden question. "Um… I guess that would be nice. We have only been on one after all. What did you have in mind?"

The younger girl smiled and stood up. "It's actually something I've been planning for a few days. I just couldn't find the right time to ask you about it. It's a secret. Go change out of your uniform and I'll get everything ready. Don't dress up all fancy, either."

Weiss raised one eyebrow. "O...kay?"

"Trust me, I think you'll like it." Ruby waved her hands towards Weiss. "Now go, shoo. Go back to the dorm. I have to make a stop somewhere first."

"Fine. Come get me when your ready and try not to make me wait forever."

The dark-haired girl smiled. "I won't."

Weiss made her way out of the classroom, but as she started to walk away from Ruby, an idea popped into her head. She could feel her girlfriend's eyes on her, so she started to sway her hips back and forth as she walked, a smile on her face as she did so. She reached the doorway and quickly spun around. Ruby noticed and turned away from her, hiding her face.

Weiss grinned. "Ruby, did you have something else to say?"

"N-Nope! I'll see you in a little bit!"

"Okay then. See you later." Weiss then began to make her way back to the dorm, laughing internally. _"And you had the nerve to call_ me _a pervert."_

* * *

Ruby knocked on the bathroom door in Team RWBY's dorm. "Weiss, are you ready yet?"

"Yes, just give me a minute."

The younger girl rolled her eyes and crossed her arms. "Well, when you're done in there, meet me at the fountain in the courtyard. I'll be on the bench, okay?"

"Okay." Weiss was staring at herself in the mirror. Something had been bugging her and she knew that it involved something she had almost told Ruby while they were out on the balcony. _"What was I thinking? It's just not possible. Ruby and I have only been together for a little over a week. There's simply no way I could feel that strongly towards her… is there?"_

The heiress' thoughts were interrupted by the feel of her scroll vibrating in her pocket. She pulled it out and noticed that she had a text from Ruby.

RUBY: Hey, you told me not to keep you waiting, but you're the one taking forever. I'm not gonna wait here all day, princess.  
;)

Weiss glanced at the time on her scroll. _"Crap, has it been that long already? I need to get down there."_ She glanced over herself once more in the mirror, stepped out of the bathroom and started towards the courtyard.

She felt slightly… off. Her constant thoughts about her feelings for Ruby were beginning to get on her nerves. It was reminding her of how she felt when she had found out Ruby was returning to Beacon. _"Why can't I think about anything else? I'm tired of my head filling with these stupid things."_

Due to being lost in her thoughts, she didn't notice that she was almost at the fountain already. A high-pitched voice made her realize where she was.

"Weiss! Over here!"

The heiress looked around and saw Ruby jumping up and down, waving her arms. The sight made Weiss smile. " _That dolt."_ She walked towards her girlfriend and slowly noticed that Ruby had set up something on the other side of the fountain. There was a blanket on the ground with a small basket placed on top of it. "Ruby, what is this?"

"Well, we haven't really done anything together that's been close to a date since the night that I got sick, so I put this together. I was trying to think of what to do, and then this popped in my head. It's a picnic… do you like it?"

Weiss stared at the blanket on the ground closely. It seemed somewhat familiar. "Ruby… where did you get that blanket?"

The younger girl's eyes widened slightly. "Um… nowhere. Let's just go sit down."

Weiss crossed her arms and tapped her foot on the ground several times. "Is that one of the blankets from our dorm?"

Ruby shook her head. "Whaaaat? Psh. No. Nope. No way. Nuh-uh. Negatory. Negative."

The older girl didn't move and narrowed her gaze, staring Ruby down. "Is that so?"

Ruby crossed her arms behind her back and kicked the ground with the front of her boot. "Well… I may have… _borrowed..._ one of the blankets from the dorm."

"Ruby Rose!"

"I'm sorry! But I didn't have anything else that I could use for this! I really wanted you to have a good time and like this whole thing, and I didn't want you to have to sit on the grass, and the bench starts to hurt if you stay on it for too long. I promise I'll wash it right after we're done. Okay?" Ruby put on her best puppy dog eyes and looked up at Weiss.

" _There she goes with those damn eyes again."_ Weiss sighed. "I can't say no to you when you're like that."

"So… you're not mad?"

"No, I'm not mad, as long as you wash it before we have to go to bed."

Ruby nodded her head vigorously. "I will!" The younger girl walked over to the blanket and sat down, patting the area next to her with her hand. "Now that we have that settled, come sit down. It's nothing special, but I made us some food."

Weiss walked over to the blanket and as she began to sit down, Ruby brought the small basket in front of her and opened it. She began to pull out a few bags, each filled with different kinds of food. She then pulled out a few paper plates, a couple of cups and a large bottle of something that Weiss couldn't figure out. Ruby handed her one of the bags and a plate. "Here you go.

The heiress took the bag and opened it. Inside of it was two sandwiches. She took the top slice of bread off of it to see what was on it. Satisfied that it didn't look like it was going to make her sick, she placed the bread back on it and took a bite. "Wow, this is actually really good. What's on it?"

Ruby grinned. "I'm glad you like it. It just has a few slices of ham on it with some lettuce, tomatoes and cheese. I told you it wasn't special." Ruby reached to her side and held up the bottle that Weiss had seen a second ago. "Do you want some tea?"

"Sure. I was wondering what was in that thing."

Ruby grabbed a cup and filled it. "I didn't make this though. I just borrowed some from the cafeteria. So if it tastes bad, it's not my fault." She handed the cup to Weiss, who grabbed it and took a drink.

As she swallowed the liquid, she coughed a little. "Wow."

"What? Is it good?"

The heiress chuckled. "It's awful."

Ruby filled a cup of her own and took a drink. She couldn't even swallow it, instead spitting it out on the ground. "You weren't kidding. Sorry… I guess we don't have anything to drink."

"That's fine with me. This was a really nice thing for you to do. Thank you, Ruby."

The younger girl blushed. "Y-You're welcome, Weiss. I just wanted to do something special since we haven't really done anything in a while… y'know… as a couple."

"Well, this was very sweet of you." Weiss leaned over and kissed Ruby, who was caught off guard and happened to have a mouth full of food.

"Mmph, Wesh, stuph. I hab fud id mu moff."

The heiress leaned back, worried that she had upset her. "What?"

Ruby raised up one finger, chewed her food quickly and swallowed it. "Sorry. I was trying to say I had food in my mouth."

"Oh, I thought I had done something wrong."

"No. You could never do something wrong to me." Ruby ended the statement by leaning over and starting the kiss that she had interuppted.

The two pulled apart and sat in silence for a few moments, then Ruby reached back into the basket. "I almost forgot. I made cookies too!" She pulled out two massive bags filled up completely with nothing but cookies. She handed a bag to Weiss. "Here, I made us one bag each!"

The heiress stared in disbelief at the amount of sweets in front of her. "Ruby… I can't eat all of these."

"Really? That's okay, I'll eat whatever you can't finish."

"Well, you shouldn't eat all of these either. That's a ton of sugar."

"C'mon. I made them all for today… pleeeease?"

"Fine. Eat as many as you want, but all of those cookies going to make your breath smell like you've eaten nothing but sugar for a week. Do you know what that means?"

Ruby raised an eyebrow. "No?"

Weiss smirked. "It means I won't kiss you."

The dark-haired girl looked hurt. "B-But I've been looking forward to this all day!"

"Calm down. I didn't say not to eat anything of them. I said don't eat _all_ of them."

"So, I can have some of them?"

"Just don't go crazy."

"Yay!" Ruby quickly pulled out a small handful of cookies and started eating them.

Weiss then pulled opened the bag in front of her and pulled one out. She took a bite and was pleasantly surprised with how good it was. _"I had no clue that she knew her way around a kitchen like this. These are some of the best cookies I've ever had."_

"Weiss, do you like them? I haven't made any in a while, so I'm a little rusty."

The heiress nodded. "These are amazing."

"Thanks. That means a lot."

Time passed as the pair sat on the blanket, enjoying the sweets. Ruby had eaten about a dozen of her cookies and decided to call it quits. She looked towards her girlfriend and her jaw dropped. "Um… Weiss?"

The heiress turned towards her. "Hm? What is it?"

Ruby pointed a finger towards the bag of cookies in front of her. "Look at your bag."

The heiress looked down and was shocked. Somehow, she had managed to eat all but one of the cookies in her bag. "What the hell? I can't believe I ate that many… I guess I got carried away. How many cookies did you put in each bag?"

Ruby started to count on her fingers. "Let's see… I made four batches of twelve, so… twenty-four?"

Weiss' eyes widened at the number. "You mean I managed to eat twenty-three without noticing?!"

Ruby laughed. "Yeah, it looks like it."

"Oh my god… I can't believe I did this. This isn't good."

"How about we call it a day and pack up the rest?"

The heiress nodded and stood up. "Good idea." As she stood up and straightened her back, she felt extremely light headed and almost lost her balnce. Ruby quickly rushed over to her and grabbed her shoulders, stopping her from falling over.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'll be fine. It's just… I've never handled sugar well and I just had a lot of it. I think I need to go lie down."

"Okay. You head up to the dorm. I'll clean up everything here and be up there in a few minutes."

"Are you sure? I can stay here and help."

The younger girl shook her head. "Nope, you just go rest. I'll see you in a little bit."

"Okay, thank you. If you need me, send me a message on my scroll."

"I will." Ruby leaned in and gave Weiss a quick kiss. "Now go lay down."

"Yeah..." Weiss slowly made her way to the dorm. She flung the door open and threw herself on her bed. _"Ugh, I feel so sick. How could I let myself eat all of those. I guess I was too surprised by how good they were to notice how many I was eating."_

A few minutes later, Ruby came into the room, her arms full of the items from the picnic. "Sorry. I would have been here sooner, but I had to figure out how to carry all of this stuff."

Weiss groaned. "It's fine. I'm just glad you're here."

Ruby noticed how sick her girlfriend looked. She dropped everything she was carrying into a corner and approached her. "Do you feel any better? You look awful."

"Thanks, that's exactly what I want to hear from my girlfriend."

"Weiss, I didn't mean it like that. I was j-"

The older girl put her finger to Ruby's lips. "Sh sh sh. I know what you meant. I was just messing with you. And I don't feel much better, but this will pass. I just need to wait for it to get out of my system."

Ruby sat down on the bed and held Weiss' hand in her own. "Okay… Do you need me to get you anything?"

"Well, a glass of water would be great."

Ruby nodded. "Consider it done." She grabbed a cup, took it to the bathroom and filled it with water. She brought it back to Weiss and held it out for her.

The heiress slowly reached for it. "Thanks, Ruby."

The younger girl sat down on the bed and placed her hand on Weiss' cheek, gently running her thumb over the area of soft skin. "You're welcome. How come your sick? I mean, sugar normally just makes people hyper, right?"

Weiss took a sip from the cup and sat it down on the table next to the bed. "I don't know. For some reason, whenever I have a lot of sugar I don't get energy, I just start feeling sick. I think it's because when I was growing up at home, my father pretty much never let me or my sister have sweets. Then, when I finally was able to eat them, my body just wasn't use to it. I know it sounds dumb, but it's the only reason I can think of."

"I don't think it's dumb, I just wish I could make you feel better."

"Don't worry, Like I said, it will pass eventually." Weiss grabbed the glass of water and took another drink.

Ruby leaned over and kissed her girlfriend on her forehead. "Wow, you have a fever too. Are you sure there's nothing else I can do?"

Weiss smiled. "Yes I'm sure, but thanks for caring about my well being."

"Well, that's my job. I'm your girlfriend."

"You know, I'm still not used to hearing that."

"What?"

"You calling yourself my girlfriend."

The younger girl blushed slightly. "I know, it's kinda weird for me too." Then she grinned. "But I could get used to it."

The heiress returned the expression. "Me too." Weiss eyes drifted away from Ruby, focusing on the wall beside her. "Actually, there's something I need to talk to you about..."

Ruby began to get worried. "What's it about? You're not breaking up with me are you?"

Weiss shook her head. "No. Nothing like that." She watched a wave of relief wash over Ruby. "But I think it would be better if I waited until I felt better. Just don't go anywhere, okay?"

"Of course I won't. I'll stay right here until you feel better."

"Thank you." Weiss watched as Ruby's expression changed from a caring one to a thoughtful one.

"So, if this is because of those cookies… then this isn't contagious, right?"

"Yeah, that's right. Why?"

"Because of this." Ruby crawled up higher onto the bed and laid down next to Weiss. She positioned herself so that they were facing eachother, her face turning a light shade of red. "Let's see if we can get your mind off of this whole 'sick' thing." She brought her hands up to the heiress' cheeks and cradled her face, slowly pulling her into a kiss.

Weiss felt a warmth creep through her body. It had been awhile since she and Ruby had kissed like this. It was mostly just a quick peck on the lips here and there, but this was different. Weiss placed her hands in the small of Ruby's back, pulling her closer. Their lips overlapped several times, before Ruby finally decided to do something she had tried only once before.

" _Well, here goes nothing."_ She slowly slid her tongue across the top of Weiss' lips. The heiress immediately stopped, opening her eyes and staring directly into her partner's, throwing Ruby into a worried frenzy. _"Oh god, did I mess up again?"_ Weiss then closed her eyes and deepened the kiss, this time parting her lips more, granting Ruby entrance.

The new kiss was clumsy at first, their inexperience with the actions were blatantly obvious. Slowly, they found their footing and eased into it. Ruby's plan had worked. Weiss had completely forgotten that she was sick. The heiress rolled over so that she was on top of Ruby, forcing the kiss to deepen even more. Both of them were fighting for dominance of the kiss, until Weiss broke it. She slowly moved her lips over to Ruby's neck, grazing over it very lightly before attacking, sinking her teeth into it. Not enough to cause pain, but enough to make Ruby wince.

Weiss then started to suck on the skin, eliciting a moan from Ruby, making her want to do more. The sound was music to her ears. Weiss broke away from her neck and stared into her eyes. Their gazes were filled with nothing but desire. As Weiss leaned in for another kiss, the dorm room's door burst open. Yang and Blake stood there, Blake with her face buried in her book, and Yang walking from side to side, trying to have a conversation with the uninterested faunus.

The blonde stepped into the room first. "So, whatever happened to th-" She froze as she saw the image on the bed. Weiss straddling her sister, who had a quickly forming bruise on her neck, is not a scene she wanted to see. She stood there, staring at Ruby and Weiss, who were simply staring back, too scared to move. The blonde shook her head to try and form coherent thoughts. "Whoa, whoa, whoa, what's going on here?"

All the couple could do was stutter. "W-We… uh… hmm. Ah… nothing… nothing! Nothing is going on!" Weiss quickly climbed off of Ruby and they both sat up straight, placing their hands in their laps.

Ruby looked to her sister, who had her arms crossed, waiting for an explanation. "Weiss was feeling sick, so I was… trying to help her feel better."

Yang's gaze narrowed. "Oh, I'm sure you were. Is that why she was the one on top? I never thought you would be the submissive type."

Ruby's face turned bright red. "Yang! D-Don't talk about it!"

The older sister laughed. "Talk about what? The fact that me and Blake just walked in on you two playing an intense round of tonsil hockey?"

"Shut up!" Ruby quickly brought a pillow up to her face, hiding it from everyone else.

Yang slowly walked over to the bed and stared at Weiss. "What about you? Are you okay with me bringing it up?"

Weiss just stared straight ahead, not saying anything.

"Weiss, can you hear me?" Yang waved a hand in front of the heiress' face, trying to get her attention. "Oh man, I think I broke her."

Blake continued to walk into the room and sat down on her bed, closing her book and turning to Yang. "Give them a break. They didn't expect us to just come busting into the room. Let them be, Yang."

"I guess you're right." Yang gently pulled the pillow away from her sister's face. "Sorry I keep teasing you two, I didn't realize it would be this embarrassing for you." Yang stood up and began to head into the bathroom, turning around just before stepping inside. "I don't mind you two fooling around, but try to keep it to a minimum when me and Blake could be back any minute, yeah?" She then walked into the bathroom and shut the door behind her.

After a few minutes of panic, Weiss regained her composure. She turned to the faunus across the room. "Thank you, Blake. For getting rid of her."

Blake smiled. "You're welcome, although I do agree with her. The two of you should try to be more discreet."

"I know, it was just one of those 'heat of the moment' things, I guess. It won't happen again, believe me."

The faunus nodded and returned to her book, leaving the couple to go over what had just happened. Weiss looked over to Ruby, who was staring at her lap, her face still bright red. "Ruby?"

The younger girl's head shot up. "Yes?"

"Are.. you okay?"

Ruby simply nodded her head several times.

Weiss raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure?"

"Yep!"

"Do… Do you want to go somewhere else and talk?"

Ruby let out a long sigh. "I love that idea."

"Okay." The heiress stood up and looked to Blake. "We'll be back in a little bit. Make sure Yang knows."

"Got it."

She then turned to Ruby. "You coming?"

Ruby climbed off of the bed and stood next to Weiss. "Yeah, let's go."

They made their way out of the dorm and headed towards another part of the school.

"So, where are we going?"

"Well, I hope you don't mind, but I thought we could go to the balcony."

"Okay. that's fine with me."

They climbed the staircase which led to the doors that opened to the balcony. Ruby pushed the doors open and stepped outside, taking in a big breath of fresh air. She walked to the edge and placed her hands on the railing. After a few seconds had passed, she turned around to face Weiss. "So, are you feeling better?"

Weiss nodded. "Yeah, I am."

Ruby looked towards the ground. "Did, um… Did I help?"

The heiress blushed and smiled. "I think you did."

"What… How… I mean..." Ruby was having trouble forming words. "Was that okay? What I did?"

Weiss blushed harder. "I figured that would go without saying… That was… incredible."

Ruby looked up, her face just as red as her girlfriends. "Really?"

"Yes, really."

"Does that mean… Do you think we could do it again? Not now, obviously, but some other time?"

"I think that would be great."

Ruby grinned. "Good, because I really liked it."

Weiss then walked towards her until she was by her side, looking over the balcony to stare at the landscape surrounding Beacon Academy. "Ruby, there's something I've been meaning to talk to you about."

Ruby turned around to stare into her partner's eyes. "What's that?"

"It's going to sound really dumb and childish, and I don't want to scare you away, but I can't shake this… _feeling_ that I have."

The younger girl placed her arm around Weiss' shoulders. "You can tell me anything. No matter what it is, I'll be here."

Weiss took a deep breath. "I know we've only been together for a little over a week, but now I know that I have felt this way about you longer than I thought."

"I've liked you for a long time too, Weiss."

The heiress shook her head. "It's not just that… I think… I..." Weiss was finding it difficult to speak the words she so desperately wanted to say.

"You're nervous, don't be."

Weiss took another deep breath. "Since we've been together, I've discovered just how strong my feelings are for you. For the longest time, I didn't want to believe it, that I liked you. But now I realize that it's more than that." The older girl locked eyes with her girlfriend. "I… I love you, Ruby."

Ruby's eyes widened and her jaw dropped slightly. "W-Wow..."

"Look, I know it's way too quick to say something like that, but I can't he-" Ruby cut her off with a passionate, albeit short, kiss.

"Thank you."

The heiress was relieved at how well Ruby had taken the confession, but she was confused. "For what?"

"I've been wanting to tell you that for so long. It's been irritating me to no end. I just couldn't find the right time to tell you."

"Y-You mean..."

Ruby nodded and smiled. "Yeah, I love you too, Weiss. I have for a long time."

"Really?"

"Mhm."

Weiss pulled Ruby into another quick kiss and hugged her. "I'm so happy to hear you say that. I was worried that I would scare you off."

Ruby happily returned the embrace. "I told you, I'm not going anywhere."

"Thank you."

Ruby ended the hug. "There is one thing, though."

"What's that?"

"Well… I need to tell Yang. She's my sister and I think she should know that I'm in love with someone."

"I suppose that makes sense, even though this will probably subject us to even more jokes and teasing from her. You know that, right?"

The younger girl nodded. "I know, but I still want to tell her."

Weiss sighed. "Okay. I guess we should go ahead and get this over with. Do you want to head back?"

Ruby turned and placed her hand back on the railing. "Actually, do you mind if we stay for just a little longer? I love it out here."

The heiress walked behind her and wrapped her arms around her waist, resting her chin on Ruby's shoulder. She took a deep breath, letting Ruby's scent fill her lungs and smiled. "Yeah, that's fine with me."

* * *

 **Hey everybody! Well, here's the new chapter. Hope y'all like it!**

 **One other thing... Holy crap! This story is almost at three hundred followers! That's INSANE! I'm so glad that people like it. When I started, I was just writing for myself. I got sucked into the world of shipping and it just kind of... escalated, haha.**

 **I still write for myself, but I also write for all of you guys and gals out there. It means a lot to me that so many people have taken an interest in this thing. Really, thank you.**

 **Well, that's it for now, I guess. I'll see you all in the next chapter!**

 **:D**


	18. Promise

"Ruby, you're sister or Blake could be here any minute!"

The younger girl smirked. "I don't care."

"Well, I do!"

Blake and Yang had gone to town to pick up a few things, leaving the other half of Team RWBY alone while they were out. However, they had already been gone a long time. They could be back at any time; an issue that Ruby had no interest in talking about, instead focusing on the girl that she had pinned beneath her.

"Don't talk like that, you know that you want this just as much as I do. I saw the way you looked at me when I got out of the shower earlier."

Weiss' face turned bright red. "T-That doesn't mean I want a repeat of the last incident. I was simply… I… I was just..."

Ruby giggled. "You were just… what? Checking me out?"

"I..." Weiss looked away from Ruby. "… Maybe."

"Ha, I knew it! Now, where were we?" Ruby leaned closer to Weiss and grabbed chin, pulled her face close to hers and kissed her. It took the older girl only a few seconds to stop struggling. She threw her arms around Ruby's waist and pulled their bodies together without breaking the kiss. She raised one hand and placed it on the back of Ruby's head. As she ran her hands through Ruby's hair, the younger girl mimicked the act, undoing Weiss' ponytail and letting her fingers run through the soft, snow-white locks.

Ruby decided to get a little adventerous and began to run her hand down one of Weiss' thighs, something that the heiress reacted to by biting her girlfriends bottom lip, causing her to let out a small gasp. Ruby pulled her head back slightly and crashed her lips into Weiss' again, this time darting her tongue out, entwining it with Weiss' own. The act made the heiress moan, the sound making Ruby smile even though her mouth was currently preoccupied.

Both of the girl's breaths had become ragged and quick. Ruby broke the kiss and leaned up. She stared into the icy blue eyes beneath her, giving them both a small window to catch their breath. There wasn't a sound in the room except for the panting of the couple. As Ruby looked at the girl beneath her, she couldn't help but grin.

Weiss looked up at her, curious. "Just what's got you so happy?"

"You."

"O-Oh..."

"Weiss?"

It was hard for her to think straight at the moment, her mind swarming with thoughts about what was currently happening. "Yes?"

"I love you."

The older girl blushed. "D-Dolt… I love you too..."

Ruby leaned down and began to whisper into Weiss ear. "So, do you still want to stop? Because, if you say yes, I think your hand might disagree with you." She ended the statement with a small giggle.

Weiss had realized that, without her noticing, her hand had managed to reach Ruby's backside. "Sorry." She began to pull her hand back, which Ruby stopped by grabbing her arm.

The younger girl smiled and winked. "Don't be." She then brought her face up and started to kiss Weiss again, this time trailing her finger across the heiress' collar bone, slowly making her way down until… they heard the sound of keys being brought out of someone's pocket, accompanied by muffled voices.

They both shared the exact same thought. _"Oh, crap!"_ Ruby climbed off of Weiss as the heiress herself sat up, quickly tying her hair back into its signature ponytail. The pair then started to straighten their clothes, realizing just how disheveled they looked.

As they finished fixing themselves up, the door opened. Yang immediately walked in, but had her eyes shut. "We're back! Are you two lovebirds decent? Is it safe to open my eyes? I don't want to see anything that will make me go blind."

Ruby let out a nervous laugh. "Haha, very funny, Yang. We didn't even do much while you were gone. We just watched movies."

The blonde opened her eyes and stepped further into the room. "Oh really? Is that why your hair is all messed up and why you both look out of breath?"

Ruby's eyes darted from side to side. "Uh… Well, we… um..."

Yang waved a hand dissmissively and set two bags down on a nearby table. "It's alright. I'm just glad we didn't walk in on you two this time."

Blake stepped into the room behind the blonde, carrying a few bags herself, quickly setting them down beside Yang's. "You're not the only one, trust me."

Ruby turned to Weiss and gave her a quick peck on the cheek, then got off of the bed and walked over to her sister, who was currently going through everything she had bought. "So, what did you get?"

The blonde began to pull several items out of the bags and set them on the table in front of her. "Not much, just a few things that we could make for dinner one night. I wouldn't normally say this, but I'm getting tired of eating out. You can only take so much take out before you just can't do it anymore, y'know?"

"Well, did you at least get something good?"

Yang scoffed. "Please, it's like you don't know who you're talking to! Of course I got good food. I even managed to get you something special, but you'll have to wait until tomorrow to find out what it is."

Ruby's eyes widened. "Really? What is it? What is it?!" She began to tug on her sister's sleeves, causing her to rock back and forth.

She grabbed Ruby's hands and pried them off of her. "I told you, you'll just have to wait."

The younger sister crossed her arms and pouted. "… Fine." She then walked over to blake. "What did you get?"

"Just a few things. A few canned foods, some milk, and some fresh fish."

Yang popped up between the two, throwing her arms around their shoulders. "She means cat food." The joke earned the blonde a glare from Blake, who turned around sharply and began putting the items that she had purchased away.

"Aw, I'm sorry, Blake. I just couldn't resist that one."

The faunus rolled her eyes. "Whatever."

Meanwhile, Weiss had made her way off of the bed and was now standing beside Ruby and Yang. "So, what kind of food did you get? To cook, I mean."

Yang jumped a little, not noticing the heiress standing beside her. "Whoa, you scared the hell out of me." She then rounded up everything she had bought into a small pile on the table. "Nothing much, really. Just a few things that we could throw together to make dinner a few times. I wasn't sure what everyone would want, so I picked a few random things."

Weiss started rummaging through the pile of ingredients. "Well, if you want, I could make dinner tonight. There's enough food here to feed the four of us for at least two, maybe three nights."

"Hey, if you want to cook something, I won't complain. Anything is better than what I've been eating lately. I'm sure Ruby could use an actual meal too."

Ruby gently slapped Yang on the arm with the back of her hand. "Hey, I eat regular food too, not just sweets."

"Oh, yeah? When was the last time you had something that wasn't in a plastic bag or microwaveable?"

The younger sister looked towards the floor. "W-Well… maybe it has been a while..."

Yang chuckled. "That's what I thought. Plus, this would be the perfect opportunity for Weiss to woo you with her cooking skills!" She turned to face the white-haired girl beside her. "Right, princess?"

Weiss rolled her eyes at the nickname. The only person who she didn't mind calling her that was Ruby. Everyone else simply annoyed her. "I suppose. Besides, you did make us that picnic the other day. This is one way I can say thank you."

Yang threw her arms around the couple. "Then it's settled. Weiss is cooking dinner tonight!"

* * *

Yang pushed her plate towards the center of the table that Team RWBY was eating at. "I'm… so… full…"

Weiss sighed, placing her fork in the center of her now empty plate. "That's what you get for almost eating your body weight in food." The heiress let out yet another sigh. "So much for leftovers, I guess."

Ruby wasn't much better off than Yang. She, too, had gorged herself on the food. It had been a long time since she had eaten a nice, home-cooked meal. "Cut her some slack, Weiss. Just think of it as her way of saying that she liked it."

Blake let out a long, content breath. "I agree. This was very good, Weiss. Thank you for cooking."

"You're welcome. I'm happy that everyone liked it. I was worried about how these two would handle all of the vegetables." She shot a finger out and pointed to the pair of sisters seated across from her.

Yang's eyes widened a little. "Wait, there was vegetables in that?"

"Of course there were. What did you think all of the green stuff was?"

"Oh, I don't know. I just didn't think about it. In that case, you should cook dinner more often. If you can make veggies taste like that, I would have no problem eating them."

The heiress rolled her eyes. "I'm not your kitchen slave. I won't cook every time you're hungry. That being said, I suppose I wouldn't mind teaching you how to cook them."

"Really? That would be awesome." The blonde then let out a loud yawn while stretching her hands above her head. "But I think I'll have to take a rain check on that. I feel a nap coming."

Ruby patted her stomach and hummed happly. "Yeah, same here."

Weiss stood up and walked over to Ruby. "Well, that's too bad, because you get to help me clean up."

"What? Why me?"

"Blake and Yang bought everything, I cooked it, and I refuse to clean it up by myself. You contibuted nothing to this food except eating it."

"B-But… but… but…" Ruby started panicking, trying to think of a way out of her predicament. "Um... I love you?"

Weiss smiled. "Aw, you're so sweet. I love you too." She then placed her hands on Ruby's shoulders. "Now come to the kitchen with me and bring the dishes with you."

"Ugh, fine." She stood up out of her chair and began to gather up the plates. Blake helped her slightly by organizing them into an easy to carry pile. "Thanks, Blake."

The faunus nodded, then stood up and walked away, pulling a book out of what seemed like thin air and started reading it.

As Ruby finished picking up the rest of the dishes, she turned to her sister. Yang hadn't even made it out of her chair before she had fallen asleep. Her mouth was open and a small line of drool was making her its way out of her mouth and onto her shoulder. Ruby shook her head and kicked her leg lightly. "Yang, you could at least go get in bed."

The blonde bolted up. "I'm awake! Wha…" She rubbed her eyes and stood up. "Yeah, that's a good idea." She slowly stumbled away from the kitchen and made her way to the bed, leaping up onto it and falling asleep before her head hit the pillow.

Ruby turned around and walked into the kitchen, being careful not to drop any of the dishes. She gently set them down beside the sink and faced Weiss, who had been waiting for her to bring them. "There you go. I think that's all of them."

Weiss looked over the pile, making sure it really was all of the dishes. "Okay, thank you. Now, I know you don't really want to help me with this, so all I'm going to ask of you is to dry them and put them away once I am done washing them."

Ruby stood up straight and saluted her. "Yes ma'am!"

* * *

The clean up didn't take nearly as long as Ruby thought it would, something that she was extremely grateful for. She had made her way to the bed with Weiss in tow. The two collapsed onto the mattress. They laid there in silence for a few minutes, until Ruby suddenly rememebred something. "Hey, Weiss?"

"Hm?"

"I just thought about something. Why isn't Yang's bed here yet?"

Weiss sat up. "Oh, she probably just forgot to mention it to someone. We can talk about it later."

Ruby shook her head. "No, I remember her saying something about it a while back. She said it would only be a few days, but it's been at least a week since then."

The heiress started to blush. "Well… maybe they just forgot about it? I'm sure that the people in charge have a lot going on."

Ruby raised an eyebrow and sat up. "I don't think that they would forget something like that. It's kinda their job, after all."

Weiss turned away from Ruby and stared at the wall. "Well, maybe it's because… _someone…_ might have cancelled it..."

Ruby smirked. "Weiss, is there something you want to tell me?"

The older girl turned back around and faced her girlfriend. "… I cancelled the bed."

"Why?"

"Because… I really like sharing my bed with you. I don't know if…"

"If what?"

Weiss blushed harder. "I don't know if I could sleep… without you."

Ruby grinned. "Really?"

The heiress nodded her head.

"Aw, that's so sweeeet!" Ruby leaped to Weiss and hugged her tightly. "All you had to do was say something! I like sleeping with you too!"

Weiss was having trouble breathing from the crushing embrace. "That's great and all, but… I can't breathe!"

Ruby let go of her quickly. "Sorry. I just got really happy and couldn't help myself!"

"You are such a dolt."

Ruby tapped her on the nose with one finger and grinned. "But I'm _your_ dolt."

The heiress smiled and returned the gesture. "That still makes you a dolt, _dolt_."

Ruby shrugged. "Oh, well, nothing I can do about that." She laid back down and placed her hands behind her head, interlacing her faingers together. "So, what do you want to do now?"

"Well, I can't really think of anything honestly. I would suggest watching a movie, but I'm pretty sure that we've seen everything we have at this point."

Ruby groaned and rolled over to lay on her stomach. "You're probably right. Ugh, I'm so bored!"

"You know, you could always study."

Ruby stuck out her tongue. "Ew."

The older girl rolled her eyes. "You're hopeless."

Before Ruby could respond, they heard Glynda Goodwitch's voice on the schools intercom. "Ruby Rose, please report to Professor Ozpin's office."

Ruby sat up. "I wonder what that's about."

"Maybe you should go find out. Would you like me to come with you?"

The younger girl shook her head. "No, you stay here. I'll be back in a little bit."

"Okay." Weiss then leaned over and gave Ruby a quick peck on the cheek. "Hurry back."

Ruby nodded and got off of the bed. She walked out of the room, turning back and smiling at Weiss before closing the door.

As she made her way towards the office, her mind began to fill with anxious thoughts. _"Why would they call me up there? Last time they did this… it didn't end very well. I hope everything is okay."_

As she approched the office, she noticed that the door was already open. She peaked inside and noticed Ozpin, Glynda and Qrow standing around Ozpin's desk. The headmaster was the first to notice her. "Ah, Miss Rose, please, come have a seat."

Ruby approached the desk with trepidation, worried about why she had been called here. As she sat down, an uncomfortable silence filled the room, one that Ruby did not want to last any longer. "Um… Professor? Why did you call me here?"

The headmaster drew in a deep breath, which turned into a long sigh. "We have some… pressing matters to discuss."

"Like what, exactly?"

Qrow spoke up before Ozpin opened his mouth. "Like what happened back at the city."

Ruby shifted nervously. "… What about it?"

Qrow took out his flask and took a generous swig from it. "I told him what we saw."

The young huntress' eyes widened. "What do you mean?"

Her uncle's gaze narrowed. "You know what I mean."

Ozpin stepped out from behind his desk so that he was now standing in front of Ruby. "I just want to make sure what he told me is true. I trust Qrow, but I would like to hear it come from you, if you don't mind."

Ruby nodded. "… It's true."

Ozpin grabbed a mug from his desk and took a drink. "Where did this happen?"

"At the safe house… We..." Ruby was having trouble speaking. "We were getting ready to leave. Everyone from the village had been evacuated and taken to Atlas. We were going to walk back to Vale, as far as we could, anyway. Uncle Qrow said he wanted to show me a few places that he remembered seeing before. He thought it might be a nice way to get my mind off of things."

The room was quiet while Ruby was talking, tension building in the air. "We had all of our stuff packed up and we were about to leave. I turned around to look at the village one more time. I don't know why I did, I just had this feeling like something was watching me. That's when…" Ruby's eyes were fixated on her feet. "That's when I saw her… I saw my mom."

"I see. There is one other thing Qrow told me, however, and I believe it is something you should know." Ozpin looked at the hunter to the side of him. "Qrow?"

Qrow took yet another drink and stepped in front of Ruby. "Listen, kiddo. About what we saw out there... I know it's hard to talk about, but this is important. And it wouldn't be fair to keep it from you."

Ruby nodded, but didn't speak.

"When you said you saw your mom, I thought you were just seeing things. Then, I turned around and, wouldn't ya know it, I saw her too. It surprised the hell out of me, but I knew that there was no way that it could be her. I remember telling you that it was just a figment of your imagination, but as we turned around, I saw… something else."

Ruby swallowed hard. "What?"

"She turned into a Grimm."

The huntress was at a loss for words. "W-What do you mean?!"

"What I mean is, I don't think we killed all of the Mistrae like we had thought. I think there is still at least one more out there."

"But… why would it turn into Mom? Or how?"

This time, Glynda stepped forward. "I know this is a lot to take in, and we apologize. You're mother was an extraordinary huntress. Very few people surpassed her in skill. When news of her death reached us, we were shocked. Especially given that no one knew how she had died. That being said, we believe that we may have an idea of what happened now."

"Okay..."

"After some research, we discovered that your mother had been deployed on an extremely dangerous mission. It was top secret, with only a few select people knowing the location of the mission. It just so happens, that the mission your mom was deployed on, was supposed to stop the Grimm invasion of the city with the village you and your uncle encountered."

Ruby nodded, hanging on to her teacher's every word.

"Unfortunately, the last time anyone had contact with her was right before the attack had started. No one knew what type of Grimm there were, or what they were capable of. We now believe… that your mother was killed by the Mistrae."

Ruby's jaw dropped. She didn't know what to say. Hurt, anger, confusion, grief, she had so many emotions coursing through her at the same time, that all she could do was sit in silence.

Qrow walked over to his niece and knelt down beside her. "Look, I know this is a lot to process, and we need to talk about some other things, but how about you go back to your dorm room for now, okay?"

"Y-Yeah..." Ruby shakily stood up out of her chair and started to walk out of the office. She turned around right before walking out and faced the trio of people by the desk. "Thank you… for telling me."

* * *

Weiss was laying on her bed, scrolling through the pictures on her scroll. She had Ruby send her the ones that Yang had taken over a week ago, and some that she had snapped a few days prior. As she looked at the pictures, she heard the dorm room's door open and sat up. "Ruby, how did it go? Is everything okay?"

Ruby slowly walked into the room, not even bothering to shut the door. "Yeah… I think so. I just found out a few things."

"Like what?"

The younger girl walked to the bed and sat down next to the heiress. "Um… I'd rather not talk about it right now. Just give me a little bit."

Weiss scooted closer to her. "Okay, that's fine. I'm here if you need me." She wrapped one arm around her girlfriend's shoulder.

Ruby grabbed her hand and pulled it to her chest. "Thank you. Do you think we could just lay here for awhile?"

"Of course. Whatever you want." Weiss laid down on the bed and propped herself up against the headboard. As she got comfortable, Ruby placed her head in her lap. The room fell silent, the only sound being the rhythmic breaths of the couple. After a few minutes, Ruby spoke up. "Hey, Weiss?"

The heiress had been slowly petting the top of Ruby's head. "Hm?"

"Can I ask you something?"

"Sure."

"Do you think we could go somewhere tomorrow? Not like a date or anything… but there's something I want to show you."

Weiss pondered the request for a moment. "Yeah, that would be fine. I don't think I have any tests the next day, so I don't need to study."

"Okay, thank you."

"You're welcome."

Ruby's breathing quickened slightly, and Weiss could almost swear that she was crying, but as she opened her mouth to ask her about it, Ruby spoke up. "Weiss?"

"Yes?"

"… Promise me something."

"Anything."

"Promise… that you won't leave me..."

The statement caught the heiress off guard. "Of course. I will always be here." She felt Ruby's breath slowly return to normal.

"Thank you… I love you."

"Ruby, are you okay?" She received no response. She looked down at Ruby's face and discovered that she was asleep. She leaned over and kissed the top of her head. "I love you too, dolt. And I will never leave you." Weiss returned to her position against the headboard. She started to feel her eyes getting heavy, her thoughts filled with concern for her girlfriend before she fell into a deep slumber.

" _Ruby… I hope you're okay."_

* * *

 **Another chapter down!**

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	19. A Summer Sunset

Weiss was laying in her bed, sleeping peacefully, until a beam of sunlight shone through the curtains of the dorm room, hitting her directly in the face. She turned away from it and rolled over, expecting Ruby to be beside her. As she stretched out her arms and felt nothing except bed sheets, she opened her eyes and sat up.

She brought her hands up and rubbed her eyes a few times in an attempt to wake herself up more. Her eyes scanned the room several times. No Ruby. The heiress stood up and called out, thinking she might just be hiding from her. "Ruby, where are you?" She received no response. _"Where did she get off to?"_

Weiss walked towards the bathroom and opened the door. On the other side was Ruby, who was coming out of the room. "Oh, you're awake. I thought I heard someone talking."

"I was wondering where you were when I didn't see you in bed."

"Sorry, I got up early. I was having trouble sleeping."

"Are you okay?"

Ruby nodded. "Yeah, it's just… nevermind. Are you ready for today?"

Weiss raised one eyebrow and gestured to her nightgown. "Do I look like I'm ready?"

"Oh, right. I forgot that you just woke up. Let me get out of your way." Ruby stepped aside and gestured for Weiss to enter the bathroom. As the older girl walked by, she noticed that Ruby seemed upset. It was obvious that she didn't want to talk about it, avoiding her question moments ago, so she simply leaned over and kissed her lightly. "Thank you, and good morning."

The kiss seemed to brighten Ruby up a bit, earning the heiress a smile from her. "I'll be in the cafeteria for a little bit. Come find me when you're ready to leave."

Weiss nodded and stepped into the bathroom, closing the door behind her. She heard Ruby's footsteps slowly get quieter, followed by the sound of the dorm room's door being shut. _"I hope everything's alright. She doesn't seem as upbeat as usual."_

The heiress walked towards the shower and turned the hot water on full blast, letting the steam seep into her skin and wake her up more. _"I guess I should take a shower before we head out today. After all, I have no clue where she is taking me."_

Weiss got undressed and stepped into the shower after adjusting the water temperature to a more comfortable level. She let the warm water cascade over her whole body, the warmth energizing her.

After showering, she wrapped herself in a towel and stepped into the dorm room, looking for a set of clothes. The only clean ones that she had just happened to be her combat gear. _"Well, that's just great."_ She picked up the outfit and stared at it, running her fingers over the soft, but tough material. _"I guess this will have to do."_

She slipped the clothes on and gave herself one last look in the mirror, then headed to the cafeteria to get Ruby. However, as she headed out the door, she bumped into Yang, causing the heiress to fall to the floor.

"Oh, sorry, Weiss. I didn't realize that you were right there." The blonde offered a hand to Weiss, which she accepted and stood up, brushing herself off at the same time.

"It's fine, just watch where you're going next time."

Yang crossed her arms and chuckled, causing Weiss to be confused. "What is all that about?"

The blonde waved her hand dismissively. "Oh, nothing. It's just that normally, you would have given me hell for knocking you over like that, but you seemed to have mellowed out a little. I think my sister is starting to rub off on you."

Weiss rolled her eyes and blushed. "Oh, be quiet, you." She pushed passed Yang and started her way to the cafeteria.

"Where are you going?"

"To the cafeteria. I'm meeting your sister there and then we're going somewhere."

"Okay, well, don't have too much fun!"

* * *

Ruby and Weiss were standing at the airship docks, getting ready to head to town. The heiress was becoming increasingly annoyed that Ruby would not tell her where they were going.

"I know we're going to town, but are we staying there?"

"You'll just have to wait and see."

"Ugh, I hate you sometimes."

Ruby leaned over and gave her a quick kiss, pulled back, and grinned. "No you don't."

Weiss couldn't help but smile, but she quickly changed her expression to a more serious one. "Can you at least tell me how long we'll be gone? I would like for us to study at some point tonight."

"We shouldn't be gone too long. I promise that we will be back before dark."

"Okay. I suppose that's fine then."

The pair looked up as they heard the engines of a ship draw near. It slowed down until it was parallel to the path of the docks.

Ruby stepped forward slightly and grabbed Weiss' hand. "I guess this is us. C'mon."

They boarded the ship and took their seats. The flight to town was very quiet, something that concerned Weiss. Normally, Ruby was very energetic and hyper, smiling at everything throuought the day. And although she seemed happy, she also looked nervous, even upset somehow.

Weiss leaned over and put her arm around her. "Hey, are you okay? You seem… off."

Ruby nodded. "Yeah, I'm okay, I'm just thinking about some stuff."

"Do you want to talk about it?"

The younger girl shook her head.

"Okay. Well, if you change your mind, I'm here for you."

Ruby adjusted herself in her seat so that she could lean into Weiss, resting her head on her shoulder. "Thanks."

The rest of the flight was silent. They landed and Ruby got off first, pulling Weiss with her. "C'mon, let's go."

"I'm coming, I'm coming. Why are you so eager to take me to wherever this place is?"

"Well, I was kind of nervous to come here, but now that we're so close, I'm a little excited."

Weiss smiled. She was slowly becoming the old Ruby. "Okay, well let's get going then."

Ruby pulled out her scroll and looked at the time. "Right. It's a little bit of a walk, but it shouldn't take us that long to get there. We'll be back before the next ship leaves. Follow me, I need to make a quick stop somewhere first."

"Okay."

Weiss followed Ruby's lead. She had never been to this part of Vale before. Nothing even looked remotely familiar. "Ruby, where exactly are we? I don't think I've ever been here before."

"That's not surprising. This town is pretty small. Its just off of the outskirts of the main city. This is my hometown – Patch."

Weiss was surprised. _"Why would she bring me here of all places? Does she have something planned for us?"_ Weiss was shaken out of her thoughts as Ruby pulled her in to a shop. As they walked in, Weiss noticed that it was a flower shop. Then, she heard a lady's voice echo through the building.

"Ruby, is that you? I was wondering when I would see you again!" The voice belonged to a fair-looking woman behind a counter. She had very plain features, but something about her seemed to radiate beauty. She had long, straight, brown hair and glasses. She was on the taller side, but she didn't look to be much above average height. She looked… normal. Weiss could not put her finger on why she found her so beautiful.

Ruby walked over to the counter and leaned on it, propping her head up with her hands. "Hi, Violet. Long time no see!"

"You're telling me! It's been, what, a whole year at least?"

"Something like that!"

The woman looked behind ruby and noticed Weiss. "And who, may I ask, is your little friend?"

"Oh!" Ruby motioned for the heiress to come closer. "Violet, this is Weiss, Weiss, this is Violet. I've known her since I was little."

The woman stretched a hand out over the counter and shook Weiss'. "It's nice to meet you, Weiss! Ruby never told me she had friends that were so pretty!"

Weiss blushed. "T-Thank you. It's nice to meet you, too."

Violet smiled and turned back to Ruby. "So, what brings you back to Patch?"

Ruby's face fell slightly. "Oh, the usual."

Violet's smile faded. "Oh… You want them now?"

"Yes please."

Violet gently slapped the counter and spun around. "Okay then, I'll be right back." She walked behind a wall and Ruby and Weiss heard several things being moved around. When she came back, she had a huge bundle of roses in her arms. She walked over and handed them to Ruby. "Here ya go."

Ruby took the roses and smiled. "Thanks, Violet."

The woman nodded. "Anytime."

Ruby turned around and started to walk out of the building, motioning for Weiss to follow her. "Okay, now we're ready to go."

"And just where is it we're going?"

"You'll see. Just follow me."

Ruby led Weiss down the street until they came to a place where the road ended and a small dirt path branched off into a dense forest. "Okay, it's just down this trail."

They made their way down the path, pushing the occasional stray branch or twig out of their way. They had been walking for several minutes and Weiss was slowly becoming annoyed that they hadn't reached their destination yet. Just as she was about to say something, Ruby spoke up. "Alright, we're here."

Weiss watched as Ruby pushed a couple of bushes out of the way and revealed a small clearing which led to the side of a steep cliff. Weiss stepped into the new area and took everything in. It was beautiful. The sun was in the perfect spot in the sky and illuminated everything in the clearing, giving it a faint glow. Her eyes wandered around the area, stopping when she saw something in the distance. _"Is that… a headstone?"_

Ruby began to walk towards the grave, gesturing for Weiss to come with her. The heiress timidly followed behind her, not sure of how to act. Ruby stepped directly in front of the headstone and placed the roses down beside it. She then turned to her girlfriend. "Weiss… this is my mom."

Weiss walked up next to her and stared at the grave. "Your mom?"

"Yeah… Her name is Summer Rose."

The heiress was shocked. She hadn't even asked about Ruby's mother before, and learning that she was dead made her hurt for her partner. "Ruby, I'm so sorry. I had no idea."

The younger girl smiled. "It's okay. I'm not sure I would have been comfortable talking about it anyway. She's been gone for a while now, but I come out here every now and then and bring her flowers. Sometimes I just sit and talk to her." Ruby knelt down and placed a hand on the grave marker. "I really miss her."

Weiss crouched down beside her girlfriend and placed her arm around her shoulders. "Are you okay?"

She nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine. It's just kind of hard being here sometimes, y'know?"

"So, what was she like?"

Ruby blinked several times. "What?"

"Your mom, what was she like?"

The younger girl smiled. "She was the best! She always made everyone around her happy! She was the only person that could keep up with me when I had a lot of energy, until I figured out my semblance, anyway. Oh, and she loved to bake stuff! Every time I would come home from somewhere, the house always smelled like cookies. And she always knew just what to say or do to make me and Yang feel better when we were sad. She cared about everybody, even people that she barely knew. You would have liked her, she was a lot like me."

Weiss loved Ruby, but the mere thought of another person just like her made her feel exhausted. She smiled and pulled Ruby close to her. "I bet I would have." Weiss stared at the grave, trying to find something to say that wouldn't upset Ruby. "So, do you want to talk to her right now?"

The younger girl looked to her girlfriend. "Huh? What do you mean?"

"You said you talk to her sometimes, right? You could… introduce me..."

Ruby smiled. "I could do that." She stood up, pulling Weiss with her. "Mom, this is Weiss. She's… my girlfriend."

Weiss stepped forward slightly. "Hello, Miss Rose, it's-" She was cut off by a soft jab in her ribs from Ruby.

"Psst, don't call her that. Call her Summer. She hated when people called her Miss Rose. She said it made her feel old."

The heiress nodded. "Hello, Summer, it's nice to meet you."

Ruby stepped closer until she was right next to Weiss. "Mom, this is the girl I've told you about, the one that I met on my first day at Beacon… the one that I exploded on."

Weiss had to stifle a laugh as the memory came back to her.

"She makes me really happy, Mom. I just know that you would have liked her. I wish… I wish you were here to meet her."

They pair stood there in silence for several minutes, until Ruby looked up and noticed the sun starting to set. "Well, it's getting late. I guess we should start heading back."

"Are you sure?"

Ruby nodded. "Yeah. I can come out here anytime I want, but I'd rather not be out here when it's dark."

"Okay, then let's go."

Just before they exited the clearing, Ruby turned around and took one last glance at the grave. "Bye, Mom. It was good to talk." Then, they made their way out of the clearing and back to the airship docks in town.

They boarded the ship and took their seats. After the flight had started, Weiss faced Ruby. "Hey, not that I mind coming with you or anything, and I appreciate you trusting me enough to bring me here, but why did you want me to come in the first place?"

"Well, I guess I wanted you to see her. I mean, you and Yang are pretty much the most important people in my life, and seeing as how Yang grew up with her, I figured it was time you two met."

Weiss raised an eyebrow. "So, if Yang and I are so important, where does that leave Blake? She is part of the team, after all."

"Oh, she's important to me to, and I love her, but it's more of a sisterly love like Yang. You're just.. _love_ love." Ruby tapped Weiss on the nose and grinned.

Weiss rolled her eyes, but smiled. "Dolt."

"Thanks for coming, by the way. I know you were probably annoyed when I wouldn't tell you where we were going."

The heiress took Ruby's hand and held it in her own. "You're welcome, and I was a little irritated, but I understand why you were so secretive now."

"Well, I'm happy you stuck around. It means a lot."

The airship reached Beacon Academy and slowly glided into the boarding area. The doors opened and Weiss and Ruby stepped out and began to walk towards the school. As they reached the entrance, Ruby turned and looked behind her. She pointed towards the sky. "Hey, Weiss, look."

The heiress looked to where her girlfriend was pointing. The sun was setting and it had created a beautiful sunset. It looked gorgeous enough to be a painting. As Weiss stared at it, she felt Ruby grab her hand and begin to pull her towards the school. "C'mon! Let's go to the balcony!"

The pair sprinted up the stairs and ran through the doors which led outside. Once there, they could see the entire sunset.

Ruby walked towards the railing and placed her hands on it. "Wow, this looks so pretty!"

Weiss stepped forward until she was next to her partner. "Yes it does. It's beautiful."

The sun was shining on everything in sight. However, it wasn't bright, it was a dull shine that gave the entire landscape the slightest tint of bronze.

The heiress felt Ruby grab her shoulder and pull her into her side. "Let's take a picture together!"

"O-Okay."

Ruby held her scroll up in front of her. The two were positioned directly in front of the sunset, facing the school with the glowing landscape behind them. Ruby had an enormous grin plastered on her face and Weiss was smiling.

"Say cheese!"

Ruby snapped the picture, but as she did so, she leaned over and kissed Weiss on the cheek. The younger girl brought her scroll down and looked at the picture. "Oh, that's definitely a keeper."

"Let me see it."

Ruby handed Weiss her scroll. The heiress smiled. "It is a really good picture, huh."

The taller girl nodded. "Yup! It sure is!" Weiss handed Ruby her scroll back and leaned against the railing. "So, do you want to head back inside now?"

"I would like to. It would be nice to study a little bit before bed."

"Well, let's head back then."

Weiss nodded. "Alright."

They made their way back to the dorm and opened the door. As they stepped through, they were confused at the sight on the other side. Blake had Gambol Shroud in her hand and had Yang wrapped up with the cloth from it. Yang turned to look at the couple, her eyes full of fear. "Guys, help me!"

"What's going on here?"

"Well, something… happened… and now I think Blake is going to kill me!"

Ruby stepped forward. "Blake, what are you doing?"

Blake waved her away. "Relax, Ruby. I'm not going to kill your sister, but she did something that I told her not to do and now she has to pay."

"What did she do?"

Blake looked at the ground and blushed slightly. "S-She… she..."

"All I did was pet her ears!"

Weiss rolled her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose. "You… what?"

"I pet her ears! She came out of the bathroom after she took a shower and she didn't have her bow on yet. Her cat ears were so cute! Ruby, you shoulda seen 'em! I just couldn't help myself."

Weiss raised an eyebrow. "So, you're telling me… that all of this… is because you tried to _pet_ Blake?"

Yang laughed nervously. "Uh… yeah, I guess you could say that."

Weiss sighed. "Well, mystery solved. Blake, I won't stop you from whatever you're planning. I'm going to the bathroom to change. Try to keep the noise at a dull roar. I have plans to study in a bit." The heiress walked into the bathroom and shut the door, glancing one last time at the ridiculous situation before her.

Ruby quickly ran to Yang's side. "Her ears! Tell me about her ears!"

Yang grinned. "They were so cute! And the were really soft, too, like silk! Oh! And guess what?"

"What?"

"At first, when I touched them, she started purri-" Yang was cut off by Blake tightening the cloth around her.

The faunus was glaring daggers at the blonde. "Not. Another. Word."

Yang nodded her head several times. "Okay, okay, you win! Now let me go!"

Ruby walked over to Blake. "Please let her go."

"Ruby, she-"

Blake was cut short as Ruby put on her powerful puppy dog eyes. She stared into them, trying not to bend to their will. _"… Damn."_ She released the cloth around Yang and quickly transformed Gambol Shroud back into its normal state. "You're lucky Ruby and Weiss showed up. Don't think this is over, Xiao Long."

The blonde smirked. "Whatever you say… _kitty cat_."

The dark haired girl glared at the blonde, who nonchalantly hummed to herself and jumped up onto her bed. _"I'll get you back for this, Yang."_

Ruby walked over to the bed that she shared with Weiss and laid down. She looked up at the bed above her. "Hey, Yang, did Weiss tell you about the beds?"

The older sister hung her head off of the side of the bed and stared at her sister. "What about them?"

"Well, she sort of… cancelled yours."

The blonde nodded as well as she could while upside-down. "Yeah, I kinda figured that out on my own. I was wondering when it was gonna be here, but when I saw how comfortable you two were sharing a bed and mine never showed up, I assumed one of you cancelled it."

"Are you mad?"

The blonde scoffed. "Psh, a bed is a bed. As long as I have one to sleep in, I don't care. Plus, I was always kind of jealous of you for this thing. It's like a big hammock! I really like it, haha." Yang grinned.

Ruby let out a sigh of relief. "Good, I thought you might be angry."

The older sister smirked. "Don't you mean… _YANG_ ry?"

Ruby rolled her eyes. "No."

"Oh, come on. That was a good one!"

Yang suddenly felt someone flick the back of her neck. "No, it wasn't." She shot her head up to see Weiss standing in front of the beds. "You should just stop."

The blonde gasped. "You fiend! You dare insult me? You shall be… _PUN_ ished!"

Weiss sighed and sat down next to Ruby on the bed. "Still not good."

Yang had a hurt expression on her face. "Aw… I've been waiting to use one like that for a while now..." She then pulled herself back onto her bed.

Weiss reached underneath the bed and pulled out several papers and a textbook. "Okay, Ruby. It's time to study."

Ruby quickly tried to hide underneath the blankets. "No! I don't wanna!"

"Ruby, come out from under there. I told you that we were going to study tonight."

"B-But..."

Weiss yanked the covers off of her. "No buts. Get over here."

Ruby groaned. "Fine." She scooted over to Weiss, crossed her legs, and placed her hands in the small area between her thighs. "Let's get this over with."

* * *

The dorm was filled with the sound of loud snoring coming from Yang, and the light breathing of Blake across the room. Weiss and Ruby had been studying for a couple of hours and the younger of the two was barely paying attention.

"Now, Ruby, what is the weakest point on an Alpha Beowolf?"

Ruby's head was slowly dropping up and down as she struggled to stay awake. "huh? Oh… it's, um… it's… cookies. No, that's not right. It's..."

Weiss sighed and shut her textbook. "It's clear that you're too tired to continue studying. How about you go change and we'll go to bed?"

"Really?"

The heiress nodded. "Yeah. I'm actually pretty tired myself and it is getting late, after all."

Ruby leaned over and planted a kiss on Weiss. "Thanks."

"You're welcome."

The younger girl hopped off of the bed, grabbed her pajamas and headed into the bathroom.

Weiss pulled the covers back and slipped under them, pushing her back against the wall, leaving a spot on the bed for Ruby. _"Well, today was… not what I expected, but I'm happy that Ruby trusts me with something so personal. I wonder what made her want to go there in the first place though… She was pretty upset about something yesterday. I wonder if I should ask her about it?"_

Just then, the bathroom door opened and Ruby stepped out, a huge smile on her face.

Seeing how happy Ruby looked made the heiress smile. _"Oh, well, I can ask her later."_ Weiss pulled back the covers slightly and pat her hand on the mattress. "You coming?"

"You bet I am, princess." Ruby walked over and slid into the bed, pulling the blankets up to her shoulders.

Weiss instinctively turned around and faced the wall. As soon as she did, she felt Ruby's arms slowly wrap around her torso, then felt her breath on her neck as she buried her face in her hair.

Weiss grabbed Ruby's hands in her own and tightened the embrace, leaning further into Ruby.

"Have I ever told you how good your hair smells?"

The question caught Weiss off guard. "U-Um, no, you haven't."

She felt Ruby's mouth against her neck and knew she was smirking. "Well it smells really good."

"T-Thank you."

Weiss heard Ruby take in a big breath and let it out slowly. "Goodnight, Weiss."

"Goodnight, Ruby."

* * *

 **Hey, everyone. Well, here's the new chapter! I hope you all like it!**

 **Also, I just want to thank everyone for reading this again. It's still crazy to me that so many people have taken an interest in this thing. I wrote this thinking that maybe a few people would like it, but there's so many of you now! You guys are awesome!**

 **Well, that's all I can think to say right now. I'll see you guys in the next chapter!**

 **:D**


	20. A Slow Day

"What do they want this time? I'm getting tired of getting called up there."

"Oh hush, they don't tell us to come up there that often. When they do, it's usually important. Stop complaining."

Team RWBY had been called to Ozpin's office over the school's intercom. Each member of the team was wondering why their presence had been requested. Ruby was panicking, due to the fact that seemingly every time she was in that room, she came out feeling worse than when she had walked in.

The leader hung her head and walked slowly. "I just hope it's nothing serious."

Weiss slowed her pace until she was standing next to her partner. "I'm sure everything is fine. Calm down."

"You don't know that for sure. None of us do."

Yang stepped next to her sister and threw an arm around her. "Weiss is right, just relax. If it turns out to be bad news, then we'll all be here, together. There's nothing to worry about, sis."

Blake chimed in from the front of the group. "She's right, Ruby."

"Okay… if you say so."

The four girls made their way towards the office. When they arrived, Blake opened the door and poked her head inside. "Um… Professor Ozpin?"

The headmaster was seated behind his desk, a pile of papers in front of him. "Ah, Miss Belladona, please come in. Where are the rest of your teammates?"

"Right here, sir." As Blake stepped inside, the other three members of the team followed her.

"Good." Ozpin gestured toward four chairs in front of them. "Please, have a seat."

One by one, they slowly sat down. After a brief silence, Blake opened her mouth to speak, but was cut off by Ozpin. "Thank you for coming, girls. I'm sure you're wondering why I've called you here."

The statement was met with nods.

"Well, there just so happens to be a mission available. If you are interested, I would be happy to assign it to you."

Several sighs of relief filled the room, but they were quickly silenced as Ozpin continued to speak. "However, I feel that it is of the utmost importance that you are aware of each detail of this assignment. I will explain it to all of you, but in the end, Miss Rose will decide whether or not you accept it."

Ruby swallowed hard. She was nervous.

"This mission could be very dangerous, potentially life threatening. While I am not comfortable sending my students out into the field on missions like this, I feel that it is appropriate given the circumstances."

Weiss raised her hand.

"Yes, Miss Schnee?"

"What… circumstances?"

Ozpin took a mug from his desk and took a drink, then breathed deeply. "This mission involves the assignment that Ruby and Qrow were on recently."

Ruby's eyes lit up, but she didn't say anything. She was incredibly anxious, but she wanted to hear the rest of what the headmaster had to say.

Ozpin took her silence as a sign to continue. "We believe that there is a new type of Grimm in the area that Qrow and Ruby recently came back from. For now, we are under the assumption that there is only one such Grimm, but that does not mean that there aren't more. We need to eliminate them. It is very strong and very, very dangerous. I cannot stress this enough. If you feel that you are ill-prepared for this task, then I completely understand. Now if-"

"We'll do it." Each girl faced their leader, shocked that she made the decision so quickly. "We'll accept the mission."

Weiss placed a hand on her partner's shoulder. "Ruby, are you sure about this?"

The younger girl nodded. "Positive. Those things… all they know how to do is kill. They've killed people for a long time. They killed Ivory and my… my..." Ruby's eyes had tears in them, but she was determined. "It doesn't matter. I won't let them hurt anyone else."

Ozpin nodded. "Very well. I will be sending Qrow with you on this mission. He will be your leader. You are to do everything he says, do you understand?"

"Yes, sir."

"Good. You will leave in two days. Please take this time to prepare."

"We will." Then, Team RWBY stood up out of their chairs and made their way out of the office. As they closed the door behind them, Yang grabbed Ruby by the shoulders. "What was all that about? Ruby, I know this might be a touchy subject for you, but me and Blake are in the dark here. You need to fill us in."

Ruby sighed. "I know. Let's go back to the dorm. I'll explain everything there."

* * *

Yang's jaw was hanging open. "W-Whoa… I had no clue that you went through something like that, Ruby." The blonde walked over and crushed her sister in a hug.

"Yang, it's okay. I haven't said everything yet."

Weiss raised an eyebrow. "Really? That was everything that you told me."

Ruby scratched the back of her head nervously. "Yeah… about that… Remember how I said that some stuff happened after we killed the Alpha?"

"Yes, I rememeber."

"Well, it was kind of important stuff." Ruby sat down on the edge of the bed that she shared with Weiss and took a deep breath. "We figured out more things about the Mistrae after everything happened. Things that weren't even talked about in the old lore that Uncle Qrow talked about."

"Like what?"

Ruby looked at the floor. "Those things… the Mistrae… we figured out that they couldnt just change into one person. Once they made eye contact with you, they could turn into other people. Specifically, the people that you were close to."

Weiss made her way to Ruby and sat down beside her. "What do you mean?"

"Well, apparently, if you were thinking about someone, they could turn into that person and use it against you. Then, we… we had to kill them."

Blake, Yang and Weiss exchanged nervous glances. The heiress wrapped an arm around Ruby. "Did they… change into anyone for you?"

The younger girl nodded. "Y-Yeah… I saw all three of you. More than once." Tears began forming in Ruby's eyes. "I-I had t-to… I k-killed..." Ruby broke down as the memories of what she had done flooded her mind.

Unsure of what to do, Weiss brought her close and hugged her, letting her cry into her shoulder. "Shh, it's okay."

Yang and Blake walked over and sat with the couple. Yang placed her hand on Ruby's back and started rubbing small circles on it. "Ruby, are you sure you want to go back to that place?"

Ruby brought her hands up and wiped her eyes. "… Yeah, I'm sure. I feel like I have to now, since I learned about what happened to Mom."

"Well, how do you know that the Grimm didn't just change into her because you were thinking about her?"

"I don't think so. I mean, I think about her a lot, but when we were out there, I didn't think about her at all. I was thinking about all of you and how much I missed being here. I don't think it could have turned into her unless… unless it killed her."

"Okay, then we will go."

Ruby looked up. "You guys don't have to do that. Me and Uncle Qrow can handle it. I don't want you guys to go through something like that. We don't know how many there are out there."

Weiss got off of the bed and stood in front of Ruby. "If you think that we are going to let you go back there without us after everything you've said, you are wrong."

Blake placed a hand on Ruby's shoulder. "She's right. We aren't going to let you do this alone."

Ruby smiled. "Thanks, guys. You have no idea how much this means to me."

Silence filled the room, until Yang broke it. "Well, we've got nothing to do for two days. Do you guys want to go get some food?"

Ruby shook her head. "You guys go ahead. I'm not really that hungry."

Weiss sat back down on the bed. "I'm gonna stay behind too." She leaned over to Yang and whispered in her ear. "Please bring some cookies back with you. I think it would help her feel better."

The blonde nodded and stood up. "Okay then. Blake, you coming?"

"I suppose. Let's go."

The pair walked out of the room, giving a comforting glance towards Ruby before closing the door and heading towards the cafeteria.

Ruby laid down on the bed without moving up, letting her legs dangle off the side of it. "Weiss, thank you for everything."

Weiss laid down next to her and ran her fingers through Ruby's hair. "You should have known that I wouldn't let you do something like this without me."

"I know, but I still appreciate it." Ruby rolled over and kissed Weiss. "But… I want you to be sure that you want to do this."

The heiress rolled her eyes. "I don't even need to think about it. If you're going, then I'm going too. That's all there is to it."

Ruby nuzzled into the crook of Weiss' neck and smiled. "Okay."

Silence filled the room again as Weiss listened to the rhythmic breathing of her partner, while stroking the back of her head. "So, you know what this means, right?"

Ruby looked up at Weiss. "What?"

"We're going to have to get some training in at some point before we leave."

The younger girl rolled over and groaned. "That sounds awful."

"Well, I would rather us be in our peak physical condition before we go on this mission, just to be safe."

Ruby sat up and pouted. "But I've already fought these things before. I can handle myself."

Weiss wrapped an arm around her and pulled her close. "Please, for me? I just don't want you to get hurt. I wouldn't know what to do with myself if that happened." The heiress tried her best to imitate Ruby's puppy dog eyes.

" _She's using my own trick against me! And it's working!"_ Ruby sighed. "Okay, we can train tomorrow. I just want to hang out for the rest of the day."

Weiss smiled and kissed Ruby's cheek. "Thank you. So what do you want to do today? You may have talked me out of training, but I refuse to let you lay around in bed all day."

"Well, I guess we could go to the cafeteria and meet up with Yang and Blake. I could really go for some cookies right now, honestly."

Ruby started to get up, but Weiss grabbed her hand. "No need. I asked Yang to bring you back some earlier before she left."

The younger girl's eyes lit up. "Really?" She wrapped her arms around Weiss and pulled her into a hug. "You're the best!"

The heiress smiled. "Well, I'm happy that you think that."

Ruby grinned and kissed Weiss passionately, albeit briefly. "I love you."

Weiss began to blush. "I love you too, dolt."

Ruby brought her hand up and intwined her fingers with her girlfriend's. "Sooo… what now?"

The heiress shrugged. "I'm not sure. There's not much to do around here right now. We've seen all of the movies we have."

Ruby began to trail a finger across Weiss' neck. "Oh, I'm sure we could think of… _something_." She made sure to whisper the last word directly in the heiress' ear.

"Ruby, Blake and Yang only went to the cafeteria. They won't be gone long at all. We don't have any time for _that._ Even though it does sound… nice."

Ruby sighed. "I guess you're right. Well, it doesn't leave much to do except take a nap."

Weiss rolled her eyes. "Well, I'm sure that there could always be worse ways to spend our time."

"So we can take a nap then?"

The heiress sighed. "I suppose."

* * *

Weiss woke up without opening her eyes. She was still half asleep, but she sensed some sort of presence looming over her as she slept. She rolled over and cracked open one eye. She quickly discovered why she was feeling watched. Yang had her scroll positioned directly above her and Ruby, ready to take pictures.

Weiss yawned and sat up. "Don't."

Yang yelped and almost dropped her scroll. "Oh, I didn't realize that you were awake."

Weiss brought a hand up and rubbed her eyes. "Why do you insist on taking pictures of us while we sleep? It's a little off-putting, you know."

The blonde chuckled nervously. "I can't help it. You two are just sooo cute."

The heiress shot her a glare. "Do I need to remind you of what happened the last time you took pictures of us?"

Yang's eyes widened as she remembered the last time Weiss found out about her taking pictures. A chill ran through her entire body. "N-No thanks."

"Then I suggest you not take any pictures."

The blonde nodded and slipped her scroll into her pocket. "Sorry."

Weiss began to move off of the bed, but a pair of arms snaked their way around her waist and pulled her down. She quickly felt warm breath on her neck. "Mm-mm."

The heiress turned and looked at the person behind her. "Ruby, we can't just lay in bed all day. If we do, we won't be able to sleep tonight."

"C'moooon, Weiss. Just five more minutes." The younger girl nuzzled her face into the heiress' hair.

Weiss rolled her eyes. "Fine, have it your way." The heiress leaned into the embrace and closed her eyes. "But only five minutes. No more, no less."

"Okay."

Meanwhile, Yang hopped up on her bed and pulled out her scroll. She let her feet hang off the edge of the bed and hummed to herself. On the other side of the room, Blake had been sitting on her bed, quietly reading a book.

Ruby suddenly began to stir, causing Weiss to open her eyes. "Ruby, what are you doing?"

The heiress heared several grunts come from her partner. "I'm trying to get comfortable."

Weiss gasped as Ruby accidentally rammed one of her knees into her lower back. "Ow! Watch what you're doing!"

Ruby pulled Weiss closer to her and planted short kisses along her neck. "I'm sorry! I didn't meant to!"

The older girl sighed. "It's okay, just be more careful."

Yang pulled her feet up onto her bed and peeked over the edge to look at the pair beneath her. "What are you guys doing down there? If I didn't know any better, I would say it sounded like you two were fuc-"

Ruby sat up quickly and locked eyes with her sister, her face a deep shade of red. "Yang!"

The blonde chuckled. "Haha, sorry, but that's what it sounded like."

Weiss sat up beside Ruby. "That doesn't mean you should jump to conclusions like that. As if we would do anything like that with you and Blake in the room in the first place."

Yang raised her eyebrows several times. "So, you _would_ do it if me and Blake weren't around?"

Weiss blushed. "T-That's not what I meant!"

"Well, what did you mean then?"

"Uh… I… Well… Be quiet, you!"

The blonde smiled. "Ooooh, can't think of anything to say? What's the matter? Grimm got your tongue? Don't tell Ruby, she might get jealous."

Ruby threw the blankets off of her and Weiss, got out of the bed and stood up. "Yang, stop it! I know that you're my sister and you like to tease us, and I'm okay with it for the most part, but look at Weiss!" Ruby pointed to her partner, who was slowly hiding her red face behind a pillow.

"Okay, you're right. I may have gone a little overboard. I'm sorry, Weiss."

The heiress nodded from behind the pillow and let out a muffled 'thank you'.

"Ruby, I'm sorry. I guess I shouldn't tease you guys as much as I do. It's just..."

"Just what?"

Yang stared at the ground. "I'm used to you being my little sister. I remember how me and you always used to play around and tease each other. But now you're older, you're more mature. You have a girlfriend now, and you're the leader of your own team. I just miss how things used to be, I guess."

Ruby pulled her sister into a hug, which Yang quickly returned. "Yang, I'm still your little sister. You don't have to tease me to show me that."

Yang took a deep breath. "I know, I know, I just feel like… With everything that's happened, with you becoming our team's leader, getting a girlfriend… You've grown so much. You're my little sister and I'm supposed to protect you, but it's getting to the point where I don't have to. You can protect yourself, so you won't need me soon."

Ruby's grip on her sister tightened. "C'mon, I'll always need you. You're my big sister. Even if you don't have to protect me, I'll still ask you to. Besides, who else am I supposed to go to about certain things?"

"I'm sure Weiss could help you with something like that..."

"Well, what if me and Weiss are fighting? Who would I go to about something like that? I'll always need my big sister, okay?"

The blonde smiled. "Okay."

Ruby stepped away from her sister and sat down beside Weiss. "Are you okay now?"

The heiress pulled the pillow away from her face, which was still slightly red. "Yes, I'm fine."

Yang reached up onto her bed, brought a bag down and handed it to Ruby. "Here. Maybe this will make up for the way I acted."

Ruby opened it and her face lit up. "Are these for me?"

The blonde nodded. "Yup. Weiss asked me to bring you some earlier, but when we got back, you two were asleep. I figured I would just wait for you to wake up to give them to you."

"Oh, yeah, she mentioned that earlier. Thanks, sis!"

"No problem." Yang jumped back up on her bed and laid down. "Well, I know it's early, so I'll talk to you guys tomorrow. G'night."

Ruby stuck her hand out to the side of Yang's bed and gave her a thumbs up. "Night, Yang." Ruby looked across the room to blake, who had been kepping to herself. "So, Blake, you've been pretty quiet all night. Well, more than usual. Something up?"

The faunus looked up from her book. "What? Oh, no. Everything's fine. I'm just really into this book."

"Okay, just wondering." However, Ruby noticed Blake's bow twitch slightly and she looked away from her book briefly, before returning to it. _"Huh, something has to be bothering her. I guess she doesn't want to talk about it right now though. I won't pester her about it."_

She felt movement behind her and turned around. She noticed that Weiss had laid back down. She placed a hand on her shoulder and shook her slightly. "Weiss, what happened to waking up?"

The heiress let out a small groan. "Well, it's late enough to sleep now."

"Aren't you gonna change? I almost never see you sleep in your uniform."

Weiss shook her head. "Not tonight. Too tired."

"Well, in that case..." Ruby smiled, laid down next to her girlfriend and wrapped her arms around her. "So, do you still want to train tomorrow?"

She received no answer. "Weiss?" She looked at her partner's face and realized that she was already asleep. She chuckled and gently kissed the back of the heiress' neck. _"Goodnight, Weiss."_

* * *

The door to Ozpin's office opened slowly as Qrow stumbled inside, obviously drunk. "Hey, Oz."

The headmaster looked up from his desk at the hunter. "Yes, Qrow? Can I help you with something?"

"Yeah, I was wondering, did you talk to Ruby yet?"

Ozpin nodded. "Yes, I spoke with Team RWBY earlier. I informed them about the mission and Ruby decided to take it."

Qrow was somewhat surprised. "Really? I figured she would say no."

"I assume that the information about her mother changed her outlook on the situation."

Qrow pulled out his flask and took a drink. "Okay, that's all I needed to know. Just let me know when you want us to leave."

"I will."

Qrow halfway saluted him with two fingers and made his way out of the office. "See ya."

* * *

 **Hey, everybody! So, let me talk to you guys for a second.**

 **First off, I'm sorry for the super late upload. I was actually at RTX this past weekend and didn't get a chance to write. My original plan was to post a chapter the day before I left and then not post one today, buuuuut that didn't work out. This chapter used to be a lot shorter. It was only meant as something for you guys to read while I was gone. Since I was busy getting ready for the convention, I didn't have a lot of time to write, and I couldn't write at all while I was gone, as I didn't have a computer with me.**

 **Secondly, I apologize for the still somewhat short chapter. Like I said, this chapter was originally a lot shorter. I had most of what I wanted typed out, but I didn't have enough time to finish it. So, when I got home two days ago, I decided to just finish this one out and start on the next one. Since I haven't been home very long, I wrote what I could, but it's still not very long. I could make it longer, but I try to have a chapter out every Wednesday and I want to keep that trend going. Plus, I don't want to make you guys wait _another_ week for new material. So, I know it's short, but it's the best I could do on short notice. I hope you guys understand. Next week will be better, I promise.**

 **Thirdly, I'm sorry for the wall of text that is this Author's Note. I just wanted to give you guys an explanation for everything.**

 **Well, I don't think I missed anything. I hope you all liked the chapter, even though it was kind of slow in my opinion. Please follow, favorite and review. I'll see y'all in the next chapter!**

 **:D**


	21. Meet the Parent

Ruby was exhausted. She had no idea how intense Weiss' training would be. They had been at it for almost three hours now, and the younger girl was out of breath, her legs were shaking and she could barely hold up her scythe.

"Weiss, do you think we could… take a break?"

The heiress looked at her girlfriend, ready to say no, but upon seeing her condition, her expression softened. "I suppose."

Ruby let out a long, drawn out breath. "Thank you."

The pair made their way towards a nearby bench in the training room. Ruby plopped down onto the bench and tried to catch her breath. "Y'know, I didn't know this training of yours would be so crazy."

Weiss sat down next to Ruby and suddenly realized how tired she was herself. "Well, I may have gotten _slightly_ carried away."

"I've been out there before. I know what we're going against. We don't really need to do this."

The heiress sighed. "I believe you, but I just feel like we can never prepare too much. You may know what's out there, but the rest of the team doesn't. I know you're strong, maybe even the strongest out of all of us, but I just want to make sure we're ready. If something happened to you..." Weiss' eyes dropped to the floor. "I don't want to lose you."

Ruby scooted closer to her girlfriend, slid an arm around her waist and laid her head on her shoulder. "That's not going to happen, okay? I promise."

The older girl rolled her eyes. "That means a lot to me, but you can't be sure of something like that. I just want you to be safe."

"Well, not to rain on your parade or anything, but training for one or two days isn't going to make that big of a difference once we get out there."

"That makes me feel better," Weiss said sarcastically.

Ruby chuckled. "Aw, don't be like that. Besides, there is probably only one or two of those things left. We get in, take 'em out, then we leave. It's that simple."

"I hope so."

Silence filled the room, until it was broken by the sound of Ruby's stomach growling. Weiss looked at her girlfriend and raised an eyebrow. "Would you like to go get something to eat?"

Ruby shook her head. "Nope, I'm fine. We can keep training if it will make you feel better." Once again, the younger girls stomach growled, this time loudly enough to lightly echo throughout the almost empty room.

Weiss kissed her gently on the forehead. "You dolt. If you're hungry, let's go get something to eat." She stood up and offered a hand to Ruby. "Come on."

Ruby took her hand and pulled herself up from the bench. "Thanks, Weiss. I was starving."

"You should have said something sooner."

The pair walked out of the training room and started towards the cafeteria, hand in hand. Weiss leaned her head on Ruby's shoulder. "So, what do you want to eat?"

Ruby grinned. "Cookies!"

The heiress scoffed. "Do you really need sugar right now? Why don't you get something more… filling?"

The younger girl started to pout. "Really? I was looking forward to them though."

Weiss unlaced her fingers from Ruby's and slowly snaked an arm around her waist. "I'll make you a deal. If you don't get _any_ sugar, then I'll give you a reward."

Ruby's eyes widened. "Really? What kind of reward?"

The heiress slowly slid her hand down her partner's back until it was resting just below the waistband of her skirt. She then brought her head up until her lips were less than an inch from Ruby's ear. "Oh, I'm sure I can think of something you would like."

Chills ran up Ruby's spine. _"Where did she learn to do things like this?"_

The heiress leaned further towards Ruby. "So, do we have a deal?"

All Ruby could do was nod, which she did several times.

Weiss smiled. "Good." She quickly placed her hand back in Ruby's and started pulling her towards the cafeteria. "Now let's go get you some food."

* * *

Weiss and Ruby were quietly eating at a table in the cafeteria, trying to rest after their rigorous training. However, their meal was interrupted by a voice suddenly calling out to them. "Oh, hey, you two. What'cha up to?"

Ruby and Weiss turned to see who was talking to them. The voice belonged to a cheerful red-head bounding towards them.

Ruby turned around in her seat and smiled. "Hi, Nora!"

The red head steppedd over to the couple and placed her hands on the table. "Aw, you two are eating together? That's so cuuute!"

Weiss blushed and lowered her head slightly, looking at the food in front of her. Ruby was the complete opposite, grinning brightly and laughing. "Thanks! So, what are you doing in the cafeteria? Getting some food?"

Nora turned a chair around and sat on it. "Well, sort of. I'm waiting for Ren to get here. We were supposed to eat lunch together today, but he hasn't shown up yet."

Ruby tilted her head slightly to the side. "Oh, you mean like a date?"

Nora vigorously shook her head. "N-No! Of course not! Nothing like that! We're just two friends eating together! That's it!"

Ruby raised an eyebrow curiously. "… Okay? You don't have to get so defensive."

The red-head sighed. "Sorry. I just got… carried away I guess."

Ruby turned around and took a small bite of her food, then faced Nora. "Y'know, it's just my opinion, but I think you and Ren would make a cute couple."

Nora's face immediatley turned red. "U-Uh… thanks… I think." Then something caught her eye. She looked across the cafeteria and saw Ren come through the door. Their eyes met, and Ren smiled and waved. Nora smiled back and stood up. "Well, Ren's here, so I guess I'll talk to you guys later. See ya!"

Ruby watched as Nora skipped across the room, humming to herself. _"Man, I think it's only a matter of time until those two get together."_ She turned back to Weiss, who was still blushing. "Weiss, you okay?"

The heiress looked up from her food. "Huh? Oh, yes, I'm fine. I guess I was just… embarassed."

"About what?"

"Nora. She said we were… cute."

Ruby grinned. "Well, you _are_ cute."

Weiss blushed again. "… D-Dolt."

The younger girl chuckled and returned to her own food.

Before long, the pair had finished eating and was sitting at their table contently. Weiss was leaned back in her chair slightly, while Ruby was laying her head on the table, struggling to stay awake.

Weiss noticed the state of her partner and gently kicked her leg under the table. "Ruby, you can't go to sleep."

The younger girl groaned. "Ugh, but I'm so sleeeepy..."

The heiress narrowed her gaze and crossed her arms. "Tough. I won't let you go to sleep this early in the day."

Ruby pouted. "C'mon, just a little nap. You know food always makes me sleepy… unless..."

Weiss rolled her eyes, already knowing what Ruby was about to say. "I'm not letting you get any cookies."

Ruby puffed out a sharp breath. "… Fine."

Then, the heiress thought of something that might give Ruby enough energy to not fall asleep. She leaned forward, placed her elbows on the table and rested her chin in her hands. "Besides..."

Ruby looked up, expecting Weiss to scold her.

The older girl's expression changed into a slightly seductive one. "… We had a deal, remember?"

Ruby's eyes widened and her jaw dropped. "I… I, uh… u-um… we should… can we..."

Weiss raised an eyebrow. "Go back to the room?"

"Y-Yes please."

The heiress slowly stood up out of her chair and held out her hand. "Then let's go."

Ruby took her hand and began sprinting towards the dorm room, with Weiss struggling to keep her footing as her partner kept gaining speed.

They quickly reached the dorm room and Ruby threw open the door, pulled Weiss inside and quickly shut the door behind her. She wrapped her arms around the heiress' waist and stared into her eyes. "You ready to hold up your end of the bargain?"

Weiss smirked. "I wouldn't have made the deal if I wasn't willing to follow through with it."

Not wanting to waste any more time, Ruby crashed her lips onto Weiss', her hands trailing up from Weiss waist to the back of her head, forcing the kiss to deepen. Weiss pulled back and began to trail small kisses along Ruby's jaw line.

Just as things began to heat up, the pair heard the sound of someone clearing their throat behind them. They slowly turned around to see Yang and Blake sitting in their beds. Yang's jaw was hanging open and Blake was trying not to laugh at the expression on the blonde's face.

Yang hopped down off her bed and walked over to the pair. She stared them down and crossed her arms. "So, you two just decided to go at it, huh? Didn't even think to see if me and Blake were in the room first?"

"Y-Yang… We… I…" Ruby hung her head. "I'm sorry."

Yang turned to Weiss. "Got anything you wanna add?"

Something about Yang's current demeanor intimidated Weiss. "N-No."

Yang sighed. "Okay then. Look, I know you're a couple, and I know that means you two will do… _things_ that I'd rather not think about, but think about where you are. You share this room with two other people. It's one thing if we're not in here, but you two didn't even check this time."

Ruby started to kick the floor with the tip of one of her shoes. "I know… I'm sorry."

Weiss stepped forward and pushed Ruby behind her. "Yang, please don't be mad at Ruby. This whole thing is my fault. I started it, so if anyone is to blame, it's me."

Ruby placed a hand on her partner's shoulder. "Weiss, you don't have t-"

The heiress brushed Ruby's hand away from her. "Ruby, it's okay. It was my idea, after all." She shut her eyes and prepared herself for whatever punishment Yang would dish out. However, all she felt was a hard flick on her forehead. Weiss opened her eyes to see the blonde chuckling.

"Did you really think I was gonna be angry about something like this?"

Weiss nodded slowly. "Well, you did seem pretty upset."

Yang sighed. "That's not because I was angry. I was just kind of annoyed that you two just barged in and started doing… _that_ without thinking about checking the room first. I don't have a problem with that kind of stuff happening, but I would rather not see it, y'know? I mean, Ruby's my sister. The last thing I want to see is her trying to eat someone's face."

This made the couple blush more than they already were. Ruby then stepped out from behind Weiss. "We're sorry. It won't happen again."

"Thanks." The blonde smiled and made her way back to her bed.

The pair stood in silence for a moment before Ruby spoke up. "So… what now?"

Weiss walked over to her bed and sat down. "Well, I would suggest studying, but considering we won't have classes for a while, I don't really see the point."

Ruby joined her on the bed, but laid down behind her, placing her arms behind her head. "You know, we could always… take a nap."

The heiress rolled her eyes. "You always want to take a nap."

"But they're so nice! Don't you like to take naps?"

"I feel like my time could be used for something better than sleeping."

Ruby sat up. "Like what? We don't need to study, we don't need to train, we just ate. There is seriously nothing to do right now except sit here and be bored."

Weiss sighed. "Well, we could clean up the dorm a little bit. It's starting to get messy."

Ruby groaned. "I would rather go back to training."

The older girl smiled. "Well, don't complain about not having anything to do then. I can always think of something to occupy your time."

Suddenly Yang poked her head over the edge of her bed and looked at the couple. "Hey, why don't we go out for dinner tonight? That would give you guys something to do and me and Blake could get some food."

Ruby looked at Weiss. "That sounds like a good idea. What do you think?"

The heiress pondered the idea for a moment. "Well, I see no problems with that."

Yang grinned. "Awesome!" She looked up and stared at the faunus across the room. "Blake, you in?"

Blake looked up from the book she was currently reading. "Sure, I'll go."

The blonde fist pumped the air. "Sweet! Team dinner tonight!"

Weiss looked up at her blonde teammate. "What kind of place did you have in mind?"

"Huh? Oh, I don't know. I just though it sounded like a good idea. I'll let you two decide where we go."

The heiress faced her partner. "Well, where would you like to go?"

Ruby thought about it for a second, then an idea popped in her head. "Actually, there this place back in Patch that's pretty good, if you don't mind going there just for dinner. I haven't been in a long time, so it would be nice to go back."

Weiss shrugged. "That's fine with me."

Yang hopped off of her bed and stared at Ruby. "Hey, are you talking about the place that I think you are?"

The younger sister nodded. "Yup."

"Cool, it's been years since we've been there."

The heiress was puzzled. "What is this place? The one you're talking about."

Ruby turned to her partner. "It's this restaurant on the edge of town. We used to go there all the time when we lived in Patch. It's really nice."

"Okay. I was just curious."

The room filled with silence. Blake was reading, Ruby and Yang were looking through things on their scrolls, and Weiss was trying to figure out how to keep herself busy. "Well, since nothing is happening, I think I'm going to clean up the dorm a little bit. Anyone care to help me?"

She looked at the faces of her teammates. Blake didn't even acknowledge that she was talking, due to being engrossed in her book. Yang pretended to ignore her, while Ruby was trying her best not to even look at her, knowing that she could somehow talk her into it.

Weiss looked directly at her. "Ruby, will you help me?"

The younger girl looked more intently at her scroll, acting like it was commanding every bit of her attention. "U-Uh, maybe later."

"Ruby, please?"

Ruby broke away from her scroll and looked at Weiss. It was a mistake. It turned out that the heiress had been able to use her own puppy dog eyes, and Ruby could never say no to them. The younger girl sighed. "… Yeah, I'll help."

Weiss smiled. "Thank you. Now let's get started."

* * *

Yang was currently pounding on the bathroom door in Team RWBY's dorm. "Weiss, hurry up! You don't have to dress up all fancy! It isn't exactly a suit-and-tie kinda place!"

A muffled voice came from the other side of the door. "I'm not getting dressed up! I'll be out in a minute!"

"Ugh, fine. Just make it fast." Yang walked over to her teammates. "Are you guys ready, at least?"

Ruby looked over herself. "Yep, I'm good to go!"

Blake simply looked at the floor. "Yes, I'm ready."

Yang turned to face the bathroom again. "Alright, we're just waiting on you, princess!"

The bathroom door opened and Weiss stepped out. "There, I'm done. Are you happy now?"

"Yes, I am." Yang clapped her hands and rubbed them together. "Okay, let's get this show on the road!"

The team made their way to the airship docks and boarded the ship bound for Patch. After they got comfortable in their seats and the ship departed, Weiss began questioning Ruby about the restaurant. "So, what is this place like?"

Blake, who was seated behind the pair, leaned over their seats and looked to Ruby. "Yeah, I'm curious about that too."

"Well, it has a lot of different food there, but it's mainly a steak house. But it's pretty nice on the inside. A little bit on the expensive side, but it's worth it."

"Okay, I'll take your word for it."

Ruby smiled. "You two will like it, trust me."

After a while, the ship reached the city. The team stepped out and looked at their surroundings. It was slightly later in the day than they would have liked, but it wasn't a problem.

"So, where to?"

"Just follow me and Yang. We know where we're going."

They started walking down a narrow sidewalk, which was slowly getting darker due to how late the day was becoming. After a few minutes, the street lights flickered on.

Ruby sighed. "I hate this time of year. It gets dark so early."

"Relax, sis. We're almost there."

After walking a little further, Weiss noticed a large building start to come into view. It looked very plain at first glance, but the more she looked at it, the more intricate it became. It was almost as if the entire building was made out of the same material. However, the sides of the restaurant were intricately carved. It also had two large columns supporting a massive roof, which was covering the entrance.

Ruby smiled. "Welp, we're here! Let's get inside and eat!"

The group made their way inside the building and were greeted by a tall, slim man. "Good evening, ladies. How may I help you?"

Yang stepped up towards the man. "We would like a table please. There's four of us, so try to make it a big one."

"Of course." The man grabbed four menus out of a nearby wooden box and motioned for them to follow him. "This way, please."

He led them through the restaurant, and seated them in a table slightly towards the back of the building but still somewhat in the center. "Is this table okay?"

Yang nodded. "Yeah, this is fine. Thanks."

The man smiled. "You're very welcome." He waited for the four of them to sit down and placed a menu in front of each of them. "Your waiter will be with you shortly." He then walked off, leaving them looking at their menus.

Weiss turned to Ruby. "So, what's good here? Do you recommend anything?"

Ruby leaned over and placed a finger on Weiss' menu and slowly began dragging it along to different items on it. "Well, this one's good… that one too…. Oh! That one's really good!"

The heiress sighed. "Okay, let's make this easier. What would you recommend for _me_?"

The younger girl studied the menu, then pointed to something close to the bottom. "I think you would like that."

Ruby suddenly felt a hand on her shoulder. "Good choice. You used to get that all the time when you were younger."

Ruby looked up to see Yang with a huge grin on her face. She slowly turned and looked behind her and was shocked at who she saw. "Oh my god! Dad!" She bolted up out of her chair and threw her arms around his neck, hugging him tightly. "What are you doing here?!"

The man returned the embrace, then pulled away and smiled. "Well, I just got home and figured I would stop in here for dinner, but I didn't expect to see my girls here."

Yang got out of her chair and walked over, giving him a hug of her own. "It's so good to see you!"

Taiyang had a wide grin plastered on his face. "You too, Yang, Ruby."

Ruby looked up at her dad. "When did you get back? I thought you were taking a break from teaching to go on a mission."

"Well, I did, but I finished all of that a few days ago. I just got back in town today."

While Yang and Ruby were talking to their father, a waiter had made his way to the table and approached Weiss and Blake. "Hello. My name is Ash,and I'll be your waiter this evening. Are you ready to order?"

Taiyang looked at the man, then at the two girls at the table. "Oh, you haven't ordered yet? Me either! Mind if I join you? It would be nice to catch up with my girls."

Ruby smiled and shook her head. "Of course not! I missed you!" She turned and faced her sister. "Yang?"

The blonde nodded. "Yeah, that sounds awesome!" She turned to the other half of her team still sitting at the table. "Do you guys mind if our dad eats with us?"

Blake shook her head. "That's fine with me."

Weiss was suddenly very nervous that her girlfriend's dad would be joining them for dinner. "N-No problem," she stuttered.

"Sweet!"

Taiyang quickly pulled a chair from another table and sat it down next to Team RWBY's. "Well, let's go ahead and order! I'm starving!"

The waiter took their orders, lingering slightly on Blake's, as she was amazed by the restaurant's selection of fish-based dishes and it took her more time than the others to decide on what to get. After they were done ordering, the waiter smiled and made his way to the kitchen.

After he was gone, Taiyang turned to Ruby. "So, since I'm going to be around you two for a while, you might as well introduce me to your friends."

Ruby looked over to her teammates. "Oh, right!" She pointed across the table towards Blake. "This is Blake. She the 'B' in our team."

Blake smiled. "It's nice to meet you."

Taiyang grinned in return. "Likewise, Blake."

Ruby then scooted closer to her partner and threw an arm around her shoulder. "And this is Weiss. She was my partner during our… eh… orientation."

Yang laughed. "Wow, sis. That's a pretty big word for you!"

Ruby glared at her. "Shut up!"

Taiyang smiled at the heiress. "I'm actually familiar with you, Weiss. Well, your family, anyway."

Weiss' face dropped slightly. "Oh… I see… Well, I assure you, I may share a last name with them, but I am nothing like my family."

The blonde-haired man laughed. "Ah, that's good to hear! No offense, but you're family's not the most… reputable people."

"None taken, I actually agree with you."

Before anyone else could say anything, the waiter showed up with everyone's food. He gently sat the food down in front of each of them. "Will you be needing anything else?"

Yang answered for everyone. "Nope, I think we're good."

"Alright then. If you need anything, don't hesitate to ask." He smiled, winked at Yang, then turned and walked away.

Ruby noticed Blake staring at the man while he was talking to Yang. It almost looked like she was… _glaring_ at him. When he winked at the blonde, Ruby noticed Blake's bow twitch slightly as her ears slowly laid back, but quickly returned to their normal position as he walked away.

"Blake, you okay?"

Blake faced her leader. "Oh, yes. I'm fine."

Ruby raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure?"

"Positive." The faunus then looked away from her, instead focusing on the food in front of her.

They all finished their food rather quickly. They then leaned back in their chairs, satisfied. There was a conversation going on between Yang and her dad, but Ruby wasn't paying attention to it. She had something that she needed to tell him, and she didn't know how to say it.

Suddenly, Taiyang's voice shook her away from her thoughts. "Ruby, you okay? You're pretty quiet, which isn't really like you."

"Y-Yeah… Listen, Dad… there's something I need to tell you."

The blonde man's face began to fill with concern. "Oh, well is everything okay? Are you having trouble at school? What's wrong?"

Ruby sighed. "Relax, Dad, everything's fine." Ruby took a deep breath. "Something… happened. Nothing bad, it's actually really good, but… I don't know what you'll think about me after I tell you."

"There's nothing in this world that would make me think anything bad of you. You can tell me anything. You should know that."

Ruby looked to Blake and Yang, who simply watched her every move. Then she turned to Weiss, her eyes asking for approval. The heiress looked deeply into her eyes and nodded.

"Dad, I… met somebody."

"What do you mean?"

Ruby swallowed hard. "I mean… I'm _dating_ someone."

Taiyang chuckled. "That's what you were worried about? Well, come on, what's his name?"

"Well… it's, um… it's actually a _her_..."

Her dad's eyes widened. "Really?"

Ruby nodded. "Y-Yeah."

"Okay, so what's the lucky ladies name?"

Ruby was surprised. "You're okay with that? With me dating a girl?"

"Of course. Why wouldn't I be? I've got no problems with whoever you date. It's your choice. But if someone hurts my little girl, they'll have to deal with me."

The statement made Weiss very nervous.

"Well… are you sure you want to know her name?"

"Well, yeah. I want to know who was lucky enough to snag my daughter!"

"O-Okay." Ruby grabbed Weiss' hand under the table. The heiress slowly entwined her fingers with her partner's as Ruby brought their hands up and placed them on the table. "Her name... is Weiss."

Taiyang's mouth slowly formed into an 'O' shape. "Well, I didn't expect it to be a Schnee of all people, but I'm happy that you're happy."

Ruby smiled. She felt like a tremendous weight had been lifted off of her shoulders. "Thanks, Dad. That means a lot."

The man smiled. "So, how long have you two been together?"

"About a month now."

"Well, I'm glad that you found someone. Oh, and Weiss?"

The heiress looked towards the blonde man. "Y-Yes, sir?"

"I'm glad that you're who my daughter chose to be with. I don't know you that well, but after seeing how you acted over dinner, I can tell that you weren't lying about your family. You act nothing like them, and seem to be a good person, and I wish you two all the luck in the world."

"T-Thank you."

Taiyang's gaze then narrowed. "However, my previous statement still stands. If you hurt Ruby, Yang won't be the one you need to be afraid of." He then returned to his cheerful demeanor. "Well, it was nice seeing you girls, but I need to get to bed. I have to teach tomorrow and I know you guys start your mission tomorrow, too."

"You know about that?"

The blonde man nodded. "Yeah, I talked to Ozpin and Qrow about it. They filled me in on everything that happened. I'm… I'm sorry you had to go through something like that, Ruby. If you need to talk about it sometime, just come on down here and pay dear old dad a visit."

With that, Ruby stood up and hugged her father. "Thanks, Dad. I love you."

Taiyang placed his hand on Ruby's head and gently ruffled her hair. "Love you too, sweetheart." He then looked to Yang and grinned. "Well, you gonna come over here, or what?"

Yang laughed and made her way over to him, joining Ruby in the hug. "Ah, I missed you girls. It was good seeing you again." He gently kissed the tops of their heads and broke free from the hug. "Well, I guess I'm outta here. Weiss, Blake, it was good meeting you."

He then made his way towards the exit of the restaurant, stopping just before the door to talk to a waiter. After a short conversation with him, he waved one last time to Team RWBY and exited the building.

Ruby was the first to speak after her dad had left. "Well, that went better than expected."

Weiss nodded. "I guess it did. I was pretty scared, honestly."

"Yeah, you and me both."

Yang stretched her arms over her head and yawned. "Well, it's getting late. Are you guys ready to head back?"

Blake stood up from the table and took one last drink of a glass of water. "I am."

Ruby and Weiss looked at each other, then to Yang. "Yeah, let's go."

They began to walk towards the exit, but Ruby stopped just before they left. "Crap! We forgot to pay!"

The waiter that Taiyang had talked to walked over to the group. "There's no need for that. Mister Xiao Long paid for your meal."

Ruby smiled. _"That old man… Thanks, Dad."_

Team RWBY made their way out of the building and started to head towards the airship docks. It was silent for the most part, but after a while, Yang spoke up. "Well, we've got a big day ahead of us tomorrow. I think I'm gonna hit the hay as soon as we get back."

Ruby nodded. "Yeah, that sounds like a good idea. Thanks again, you guys, for doing this with me."

Weiss grabbed Ruby and pulled her close. "As if we would let you do this by yourself."

"Seriously though, thank you."

Before they realized it, they were on the airship bound for Beacon Academy. Once they landed, they slowly made their way to the dorm room, each one of them too tired to even change out of their clothes.

They each climbed into their beds and fell asleep within seconds, their head filled with thoughts about what tomorrow would bring.

* * *

 **Hey, guys! I'm back! Hope everyone likes this! I wanted to have one more chapter before they started on their mission. I hope it didn't slow things down to much, but I think it works fine.**

 **Initially, I had planned to have them meet Tai later on, but I couldn't think of a good spot in the future where it would fit in, and as I wrote this chapter, I realized that I actually really liked the idea of them bumping in to him at the restaurant. It seemed the best course of action to me, considering what I have planned. (I know what's gonna happen and you guys don't. I feel powerful.)**

 **I liked how it turned out, personally. Sorry if some of you disagree with me, but that's my opinion.**

 **Also, I hope this made up for how short the last chapter was, because this turned out waaay longer than I thought it would. Anyway, that's all I have to say right now. I'll see y'all in the next chapter!**

 **:D**


	22. Boots on the Ground

Weiss woke up to the sound of her scroll beeping and vibrating. She willed her eyes to remain shut, hoping the sound would just go away. Unfortunately, it only got louder over time. She rolled over, being careful not to disturb Ruby, who was sleeping soundly next to her.

" _Maybe if I ignore it, it will stop."_ The heiress lay still, trying to fall back asleep. However, as she slowly began to fall asleep, Ruby stirred slightly and groaned.

"Ngh, Weiss, your scroll is going off."

The older girl sighed. "Sorry, did it wake you up?"

Ruby wrapped her arms around Weiss and pulled herself closer to her, burying her face in her hair. "Yeah, but it's okay. We need to get up anyway, right?"

Weiss nodded. "Yes, but there's nothing wrong with sleeping for just a few more minutes."

The younger girl let out a loud, drawn out yawn. "Okay, if you say so." She pushed her face further into Weiss' hair until it was resting against the back of the heiress' neck.

The scroll's alarm kept going, however, and each time it vibrated it inched closer to the edge of the table it happened to be sitting on. Eventually, it fell off and hit the floor.

Weiss groaned. "Ruby, I need to pick it up."

Ruby nodded and turned away from Weiss, trying to give herself just a few more moments of rest. The heiress leaned off of the edge of the bed, picked up her scroll and looked at the time. _"6:30. Why did Ruby's uncle want to leave so early?"_ She placed her scroll back on the table and stretched, letting out a huge yawn as she did so.

Weiss slowly sat up and pulled the covers off of herself, making sure to leave Ruby covered up. She looked at the sleeping form of her leader and smiled. She gently leaned over and kissed her cheek, then stood up out of bed, stretching her muscles once more. She began to make her way towards the bathroom, only to notice that the door was shut. She walked over and gently rapped her knuckles on it.

She heard Yang's voice come from the other side. "I'm in here, I'll be out in a minute!"

The heiress didn't expect Yang of all people to be in there. Normally, if anyone ever woke up before her, it was Blake, and on extremely rare occasions, Ruby. Yang was always the last one to drag herself out of bed. Weiss walked across the room and pulled out a chair. She sat down and waited for her blonde teammate to exit the bathroom.

She looked at her scroll one last time, examining all of the alarms that she had set in case the first one wasn't able to wake her. _"Well, I won't be needing these now."_ She began to go through and delete all of them. As she got rid of the last one, the bathroom door opened and Yang stepped out.

"Okay, the bathroom's all yours."

Weiss nodded and grabbed a set of clothes from a nearby drawer, then began walking towards the bathroom. She turned to Yang just before entering. "How long have you been awake, anyway?"

A thoughtful expression made its way onto the blonde's face. "Um, I'd say about an hour, maybe? I was having trouble sleeping. I woke up and noticed it wasn't too long until we were supposed to meet Uncle Qrow, so I thought, 'Why go back to sleep?' I couldn't think of anything to do for a long time, so I figured I would jump in the shower real quick. Why did you want to know?"

The heiress shrugged. "I was just curious. I don't think I've ever seen you up this early before."

Yang chuckled. "Yeah, well, don't get used to it. This'll probably never happen again."

Weiss rolled her eyes and stepped into the bathroom, shutting the door behind her. She started to get undressed in order to change into her clothes for the day, but as she pulled off her last piece of clothing, her eyes made their way to the shower. _"Well, we do have a little bit of time left before we leave."_

She reached a hand inside the stall and turned the water on, waiting for it to warm up before she stepped inside. She placed an arm underneath the cascading water, gauging the temperature. Once it was at a comfortable level, she got inside.

All of her remaining drowsiness wore off as soon as the warm water hit her. She placed her hands on the side of the stall, letting the water cascade over her, heating up every inch of her body. _"Wow, did I need this. This was a fantastic idea."_ After a few moments of simply standing under the water, Weiss began to actually bathe herself.

About ten minutes passed, and Weiss stepped out of the shower and began to dry herself off. She quickly got dressed and looked over herself in the bathroom mirror. _"Well, I think I'm done in here. I guess I should go wake up Ruby."_

She made her way out of the bathroom. She glanced around the room and looked for Yang, thinking she might need help getting their leader out of bed. However, all she found was a note on a table.

 _ **Went to get some breakfast before we head out. I'll be back in a few.**_  
 _ **-Yang**_

Weiss set the note down and shook her head. _"Well, there goes my reinforcements."_ She began to turn around and make her way towards the beds, but instead came face to face with Blake. "Oh, you're awake. I thought you and Ruby were still asleep."

Blake shook her head. "I've been awake for a while now, I just didn't get out of bed." Then, the faunus gestured behind her and pointed to the empty bed above Weiss'. "Oh, and do you know where Yang went?"

"Yes, she left a note. She said that she was going to the cafeteria to get breakfast."

"I see. Well, I think I'm going to head that way and join her. Do you want me to bring you back anything?"

"Actually, some coffee would be great. I might need it to get Ruby out of bed."

Blake nodded. "Right, I'll be back soon." With that, she exited the dorm and shut the door.

* * *

"Hurry up, Ruby. You know how Uncle Qrow gets when people keep him waiting!"

"Yeah, yeah, I'm coming, I'm coming!"

The members of Team RWBY were making their way towards the airship docks. Unfortunately, they were running slightly late, due to the fact that it took the whole team to get Ruby out of bed. Plus, she had forgotten to pack her things for the mission, so everyone ended up helping her with that as well.

As they approached the docks, they could see Qrow standing by a small airship. He had his arms crossed and was tapping one foot on the ground quickly. He didn't look happy.

Yang walked slightly ahead of everyone and was the first to reach him. She dropped her back on the ground and nervously scratched the back of her head. "Sorry we're late, Uncle Qrow. We kinda forgot to do some things last night that we needed to take care of and we just lost track of time."

Qrow stared her down and shrugged. "Well, at least you're here now." The hunter nodded his head towards the back of the ship. "Just get your things on board so we can get going."

"Right."

The girls walked around to the back of the ship and loaded all of their bags into a small hatch. They then walked around the side of the ship and stepped inside. They sat down in their seats and buckled up.

Afterward, Qrow made his way over to them. "Okay, listen up, because I'm only gonna say this once." He pulled out his flask, took a drink of it, then continued talking. "There is nothing keeping any of you here. You volunteered for this assignment and you're allowed to change your mind. This mission will not be easy and it is extremely dangerous. Your safety is NOT guaranteed. Now, do any of you want to head back?"

Ruby shook her head. "There's no way I wouldn't go. I know what's out there, but this time I'm ready."

Then, Yang spoke for the rest of them. "And there's no way we would let Ruby do something like this without us, so it looks like we're staying too."

Qrow smiled. "Alright then." He walked to the front of the ship and spoke to the pilot. "Okay, looks like we're good to go here."

The pilot nodded and started preparing the ship to take off. Qrow walked back to the girls and took a seat just as the ship began to leave the docks.

As the ship pulled away from Beacon, Ruby turned to her uncle. "So, what's Atlas sending us this time?"

Qrow glared at the floor of the ship. "… Nothing."

Ruby blinked several times, not sure that she heard Qrow correctly. "Uh… what?"

"You heard me." Qrow clenched his fists. "Ironwood wouldn't send us any reinforcements."

"Why?"

"He said that the Knights and Paladins have been malfunctioning." Anger was very present in his voice. "And he refuses to send real soldiers with us since this is basically a search and destroy mission for just a few stray Grimm. We're on our own."

Ruby looked at her feet. "Oh. Well, on the bright side, there shouldn't be too many more of them out there, right?"

"Yeah, that's right." Qrow looked away from his niece. _"Let's hope so."_

The rest of the flight was spent in silence, no one quite sure what to say. The ship made its way over the vast landscape of Remnant, before finally landing in front of the safe house. Qrow thanked the pilot, while Team RWBY unloaded their luggage from the back of the ship.

After making sure everything was unloaded, Qrow waved the pilot away and they watched the ship slowly ascend and make its way back to Atlas. As they watched the ship fade out of view, Ruby turned to her uncle. "So, what now?"

Qrow took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "Well, seeing as how we still have all of this stuff to unpack, I say we spend the night at the house tonight, and head into the city tomorrow. That way we'll have enough time to prepare everything."

Yang picked up her bag and slung it over her shoulder. "Sounds good to me!"

The team stepped into the house. It looked just as Ruby and Qrow had left it. There was even a large table covered in tools and various mechanical pieces that Ruby had used to repair Crescent Rose.

Ruby set her bag down on the floor and walked over to the table, taking one of the small instruments in her hand and looking at it, remembering everything that had happened last time she was here. Weiss came over and put a hand on her shoulder. "Hey, are you alright?"

The younger girl nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine. It's just… I don't exactly have fond memories of this place, y'know?"

A smile appeared on the heiress' face, but it was one of comfort. She pulled Ruby into a hug and placed a hand on the back of her head, slowly dragging her hand through Ruby's hair several times. "What you went through was awful, but you've got us here this time. Nothing bad will happen, okay?"

"I hope you're right." Ruby broke free from the hug and picked up her bag. However, as she started to unpack it, Qrow stopped her.

"Hey, go unpack that in the bedroom. It's your's this time. Your's too, Weiss."

Ruby set her bag down and looked to her uncle. "Are you sure? There's barely enough places to sleep as it is."

Qrow nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine with it." A smirk made its way on to his face. "Besides, this way you and your girlfriend can have some… _privacy_."

Ruby blushed deeply. "U-Uncle Qrow!"

The hunter laughed. "Sorry, couldn't resist. Jokes aside, I'd still like you two to have the room. I assume y'all would be comfortable sharing a bed, so that leaves more room for the rest of us."

Knowing how stubborn Qrow could be, Ruby saw no point in arguing with him. "Okay then, if you're sure. Come on, Weiss."

The pair picked up their bags and headed into the bedroom, leaving Yang, Blake and Qrow in the main part of the house. Yang threw her bag on the couch and turned to her uncle. "So, where are we sleeping, anyway?"

"Well, Ruby and Weiss have the bed in the bedroom and someone else can sleep on the couch. I've got a sleeping bag, so I'll be fine on the floor. Honestly, the two of you might even be able to share that couch. It's pretty big."

Blake and Yang blushed slightly. The blonde then turned around and faced the faunus. "So, uh, how 'bout it? Wanna try sharing tonight?"

Blake slowly nodded. "S-Sure."

After a few minutes passed and everyone had finally settled in to the house, Ruby and Weiss stepped out of the bedroom. The younger of the two was holding her stomach. It almost seemed like she was sick. Yang noticed and walked over to her. "Ruby, are you okay?"

Ruby reached out with one hand and grabbed Yang's shirt. "Y-Yang, is that you? Come closer. I can't see very well."

Concern quickly appeared on the blonde's face. "Ruby, what is it? What's wrong?"

Ruby pulled downward on Yang's shirt, causing her to bend down slightly. Ruby inched her mouth closer to her sister until it was right next to her ear. "Yang?"

"I'm listening. What's going on?"

"I-I'm so… hungry."

Yang scoffed and threw Ruby's hand off of her. "You little… I thought you were sick or hurt!"

"Sorry..." Ruby's stomach then let out a very audible growl.

The sound made Yang realise just how hungry she was herself. "Speaking of that, what do we have to eat around here?"

Weiss raised a finger. "One second, I brought a few things with me." The heiress walked back into the bedroom and came out with an armful of food. "This all needs to be cooked, but at least it's food. I can cook for everyone tonight since it seems we have nothing better to do."

Qrow stood up and walked over to her. "That sounds like a good idea. I'll help you."

Weiss was suddenly intimidated. "T-That's okay. I can handle everything."

"Please. We're all eating. I might as well help out with what I can. I happen to be a pretty good cook."

The heiress nodded. "O-Okay then." Weiss brought all of the items to the small kitchen in the house and set them down on a counter. Qrow walked over and stood beside her, then started organizing the items.

"So, you like to cook?"

It took Weiss a second to register that Qrow was talking to her. "Yes, sir."

Qrow wagged a finger back and forth. "Nu-uh. Don't go callin' me sir, makes me feel old. Qrow's fine."

"Okay… Qrow."

The hunter smiled. "There, that wasn't so hard was it? So, you gonna answer my question?"

Weiss nodded. "Yes, I like to cook. I learned my way around a kitchen at a very young age. My father always said that it would be a good talent to have if I wanted to find a… a suitable husband."

Qrow laughed. "Well, it looks like that ship has sailed, huh? Looks to me that you don't really have an interest in getting a _husband_."

A blush quickly spread across the heiress' face. "It seems that way, but my father doesn't know about the whole thing with Ruby. I imagine that he won't react well to information like that."

The hunter shrugged. "Well, your his daughter. The most important thing for him to worry about should be whether you're happy or not, but that's just my opinion. You seem pretty happy to me and so does my niece." Qrow looked across the room torwards his niece and grinned. "You must be doing something right. I haven't seen her this happy in a long time."

"T-Thank you. However, I don't really think that my father will share your thoughts on the matter."

Qrow shrugged. "Meh, then fuck 'im." Somehow, it didn't click in Qrow's mind that he was, in fact, talking about her father. "Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't mean t-"

Weiss cut him off. "It's fine. That is a very popular opinion people have of him. Honestly, it's one that I share most of the time, but my father is a very powerful man. I worry about what he would do if he found out about the relationship I have with Ruby."

"Believe me, if he does something that hurts Ruby in any way, shape or form, then he'll have me and Tai to deal with. He doesn't want that. Oh, and one more thing."

The heiress looked to the hunter. "What's that?"

"I spoke to Tai and I heard that the four of you bumped into him at the restaurant. He said he could tell that you weren't like the rest of your family, and since you make Ruby so happy, he considers you part of ours. So if anything happens to you two involving your dad, you've got us to back you up. So don't be too worried about it, yeah?"

Weiss' face turned a deep shade of crimson. "W-Wow… thank you, s-... Qrow."

"No problem. Now let's get this food started, I'm getting pretty hungry myself."

The heiress nodded as her and Qrow began preparing the food.

* * *

Everyone was sitting in the living room, completely content with how the food came out. Weiss was incredibly surprised by just how much help Qrow had turned out to be. "You weren't kidding, you really are a good cook."

The hunter stood up and gathered all the dishes to take them in the kitchen. "Yeah, well, you learn how to take care of yourself when you've been hunting for as long as I have."

"Regardless, thank you for helping with everything."

"Dont mention it."

Ruby let out a long breath. "Oh, man. I'm so full."

Weiss rolled her eyes. "That's what you get for eating so much. You always eat like it's your last meal. If you didn't gorge yourself you wouldn't feel so bad."

Ruby looked confused. "But, it was so good. How can you expect me to not eat as much as I can?"

The heiress sighed. "You're hopeless."

Yang let out a yawn and stretched. "So, what do we do now?"

Qrow had made his way back into the living room and sat down in fron of Yang. "Well, I don't know about you guys, but I think I'm gonna get some rest before we go to the city tomorrow. I'll talk to y'all tomorrow." The hunter got up and pulled out a sleeping bag. He set it up in a corner of the room and laid down. "G'night, girls."

Ruby turned to face her girlfriend. "Do you want to head to bed too? It will probably be a long day tomorrow."

"That sounds like a pretty good idea to me. Besides, I'm kinda sleepy anyway. Being on ships for long periods of time always seems to make me tired."

Ruby stood up and held out her hand, waiting for Weiss to take it. "Well, let's go then."

The heiress grabbed her hand and pulled herself off of the couch. The pair then turned to Blake and Yang. "Goodnight, you two."

Yang smiled. "Goodnight. Don't have too much fun in there."

Ruby and Weiss blushed, turned around, and headed into the room. Yang then turned to Blake. "So, since everyone else is going to sleep, I think I'm gonna hit the hay too. What about you?"

Blake was about to answer, but suddenly she remembered that she would be sharing the couch with Yang. The thought made her nervous for some reason. "A-Actually, I think I'll stay awake and read for a while."

Yang scooted towards the back of the couch and patted the area in front of her. "You sure? There's plenty of room on here. You could lay down and read if you want. You gotta be tired, right?"

She was tired, but she couldn't figure out why she was nervous. Nevertheless, she could find no flaws in Yang's logic. "I… suppose I could lay down."

The blonde grinned. "Good. I would hate for you to be too tired tomorrow."

Blake laid down next to Yang as the blonde slowly drug a blanket up onto them. Once she was satisfied with how warm it was, Yang turned to her partner. She rested her head on Blake's shoulder, causing the faunus to blush slightly. "So, what'cha reading, anyway?"

"I-It's a fantasy novel."

Yang's face lit up a little upon hearing that. "Really? That's my favorite kind of book. That's not saying much though, I don't really read that often. What's it about?"

Blake closed the book and slowly ran her hand over the cover. "It's about how peace can turn into war in the blink of an eye. There is a source of evil trying to control the land, and the world's most unlikely heroes stand together in order to stop it."

Yang looked up at Blake with half-lidded eyes. "That's, like, the most generic description of a fantasy book ever. Of all time."

"Well, I didn't want to spoil anything, in case you read it at some point."

The blonde shrugged. "I guess that makes sense. Do you think I could borrow it when we get back to Beacon? If you're done with it by then?" Her voice was getting quieter and softer with each word she spoke.

Blake nodded. "Sure."

"Cool… thanks… kitty cat..."

The faunus' ears drew back slightly at the nickname and she looked down at her teammate. "Yang, I told you not to call me t-" As she looked at Yang's face she realized that she was asleep. _"Typical."_ Blake closed her book and placed it on a table beside the couch. She rolled over with her back facing Yang and closed her eyes. Before long, she was asleep, leaving the entire house quiet except for the slow breathing of everyone.

* * *

Yang was the last one to wake up the following morning. Before she even opened her eyes, she had sat straight up, the smell of food wafting through the air filled her lungs. She slowly got off of the couch and made her way to the kitchen.

As she stepped into the kitchen, she noticed that Weiss and Qrow were in the middle of cooking. Ruby and Blake were seated at a counter, patiently waiting for the food to be done. Ruby turned and saw Yang walk in. "Oh, good morning, sis. I was wondering if you were gonna wake up."

Yang walked over to her, still half asleep. "Ugh… good morning, Ruby." She then faced Blake, "Mornin' to you too, Blake."

The faunus nodded without looking at the blonde. "Good morning."

Yang pulled up a chair and sat between Ruby and Blake, but as she did so, Weiss and Qrow announced that the food was done. The remaining members of Team RWBY walked over and each got a plate. Everyone then sat down at a table and ate in silence, each person nervous about the rest of the day.

It was a simple breakfast. Qrow had made some eggs and bacon, while Weiss cooked some sausage and pancakes. They all ate fairly quickly, due to not talking. After they were done, each person took their dishes into the kitchen and placed them in the sink.

The team made its way to the living room and began packing up everything they thought that they would need. Everyone had brought large duffel bags filled with things, but now they had small backpacks packed with only the essentials.

Qrow stepped out onto the front porch of the house and motioned for the girls to follow him. Once everyone was outside, the hunter took a deep breath and let it out slowly. He then turned around and faced the girls that he was now in charge of. "Okay, let's go."

* * *

 **Well, here's the new chapter! Hope y'all like it. It's such a relief to me that I'm finally starting the mission. I actually thought of the mission before I thought of anything else, so it's pretty exciting to me, haha.**

 **I, uh, I can't think of anything else to say...**

 **Yeah, I'm drawing a blank. This is embarrassing...**

 **Aaaaaanyway, please follow, favorite and review. I'll see you all in the next chapter!**

 **:D**


	23. Contact

The team had started making their way into the city. Weiss, Yang and Blake weren't exactly sure what to expect, it was apparent on their faces. Ruby and Qrow, however, seemed determined. As they walked into the city, they noticed that the sky slowly grew darker the closer they got.

Yang, grabbed one of her arms and rubbed it nervously. "Whoa, this place is kinda creepy."

Qrow replied from the front of the group. "Yeah, that feeling doesn't go away. Keep your guard up."

They walked slowly. They kept alert for any noises or sudden movements that could prove dangerous. Qrow rested his hand on the handle of his sword, readying himself in case they were attacked. As they made their way deeper into the city, the wall of the small village came into view.

Ruby stopped and looked at it for a moment. "… There's the village. I guess we're going the right way."

Qrow nodded. "Seems like it. Come on, let's take a look inside."

The group climbed over the outer wall of the village, hopped down and took their fighting stances. Upon seeing no immediate threat, they became more relaxed. They slowly walked through the village, Qrow and Ruby taking in everything, remembering everything that had happened last time they were here.

Weiss walked forward slightly until she was directly beside Ruby. "So, this is where you were for the past year?"

The younger girl shrugged. "More or less. We spent a lot of time outside of the village when we were hunting, but we spent our nights here."

The heiress looked at each building in shock. "I'm surprised that people could even manage to live here. I would have thought that the Grimm would have attacked and wiped everyone out."

"Well, they had Ivory to protect them, she is…" Ruby looked towards the ground, tears forming in the edges of her eyes. "She… _was_ very strong. She protected them. Plus, none of the Grimm really climbed over the walls. When they did, Ivory, me, or Uncle Qrow were always there waiting. I guess they figured out that when they tried something, they would die. So, eventually they stopped trying."

"I see."

After a few minutes of walking around the village, they stumbled upon a familiar structure. Ruby stared at it for a moment. Qrow noticed and did the same. He then turned to his niece. "You okay, Ruby?"

The young girl nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine."

Weiss, Yang and Blake were confused. "Hey, what's wrong?"

Ruby pointed towards the house in front of them. "That's... Ivory's house."

The other three girls hung their heads, unsure of what to say. Ruby began walking towards it. "Hey, I think I'm gonna head inside here for a little bit. Is that okay, Uncle Qrow?"

"Yeah that's fine." Qrow walks up to the door, opens it and motions for the girls to head inside. "We could use a break anyway. Don't wanna over-exert ourselves."

The team heads into the house and looks around. It's nearly empty, aside from a few small items scattered on a table and a few pieces of furniture.

Yang looks around the house, surprised out just how empty it looks. "Wow, I thought there would be more stuff in here."

Ruby stepped forward, until she's in front of the home's fireplace. "Yeah, it was pretty full before everything happened. But after Ivory died, everyone in the village took something of hers to remember her by."

"Oh, gotcha."

Ruby wandered around the small home, until she found something tucked away in a corner. It was Ivory's chair, the one she always sat in when she talked to her or Qrow. She smiled and begin to drag it over to the fireplace. She found a few stray pieces of firewood and attempted to light a fire, to no avail. "Well, it looks like we aren't going to have a fire."

Yang groaned. "Man, that sucks. Why is it so cold in this place, anyway?"

Qrow walked over to her. "Dunno, we never figured that out. The only thing we could think of is that it has to have something to do with the high concentration of Grimm in the area."

"Well, didn't you guys take care of all of them?"

The hunter shook his head. "No, we got rid of most of the Mistrae, but there are still plenty of other types of Grimm out here. That's part of the reason this mission is so dangerous. We don't know just how many Grimm are living here."

While Yang and Qrow were having their conversation, Weiss had made her way over to Ruby and pulled out a small vial of orange powder. She knelt down beside her girlfriend and offered her the vial. "Here, try this."

Ruby took the small container in her hand and looked at it. "What is it?"

"Just sprinkle it over the that wood and then try lighting it."

Ruby gently poured the vial over the firewood and scraped a small blade against a stick of flint. As soon as the sparks hit the wood, the fire sprang to life. Ruby was amazed. "Holy crap, what was that stuff?"

Weiss took the vial out of Ruby's hand and stuck it in her bag. "It's called Scorch Dust. It's a new type of Dust that my father's company created. It will burn bright and give off a lot of heat until it's put out, which can only be done with another type of dust called Frost Dust, which I also have."

Ruby was amazed. "Whoa, that so cool! But won't it spread to everything else? It looks like it could get out of hand pretty fast, since it's such a big fire."

Weiss smiled. "No, it won't. It isn't able to spread to something else unless that item has Scorch Dust on it as well."

Yang and Blake noticed the fire and quickly walked closer to it, arms outstretched. "So… warm..." The blonde closed her eyes and let the warmth of the fire sink into her skin.

Ruby stood up and placed Ivory's chair back in the corner of the room. "I have the perfect thing for this." She walked over to her backpack and pulled out a small blanket. "Look, Weiss, we can share this."

The heiress smiled. "That sounds good."

Ruby walked over, folded the blanket in half and laid it down in front of the fire place. Weiss sat down first, Ruby after her. The younger girl yawned and positioned herself so that she could lay her head in the heiress' lap. Weiss showed no rejection, gently running her hands through her girlfriend's hair.

Qrow raised an eyebrow and crossed his arms. "Ruby, you were told to bring only the essentials. Why do you have a blanket?"

"W-Well, I thought we might need one. I remembered how cold this place got, but I guess we don't need it now, since the fire is so warm. I actually brought two, just in case someone else needed one."

Her uncle sighed. "Well, I guess it can't be helped since you have them anyway."

Blake made her way over to her and crouched beside her. "Do you mind if I have the other one? I'm actually still a little cold, even with the fire going."

Ruby nodded. "Sure, it's in my bag. Help yourself."

"Thanks." The faunus walked over to the backpack and pulled out a blanket that was slightly larger than the one Ruby had gotten earlier. She placed it in front of the fire and sat on it. As she sat down, she noticed Yang sitting in the floor next to Qrow. "Yang, would you like to sit over here? It's pretty warm."

The blonde smiled, but shook her head. "Nah, I'm fine here. My semblance keeps me pretty warm. It's a nice side effect. Besides, who would keep this grumpy, old man company if I came over there?"

Qrow shot a glare at the blonde. "Hey, I'm not old."

Yang grinned. "Whatever you say, Uncle Qrow."

Blake nodded her head and turned back to face the fire, but there was a thought she couldn't get out of her head. _"Am I… upset that she said no?"_ The faunus pushed the thought away, only for it to be replaced by a another, more worrisome one. After a few seconds, she turned to Qrow. "So, you and Ruby stayed in this village for a year?"

Qrow had just fnished taking a drink from his flask, so he simply nodded until he had swallowed. He then wiped his mouth with his sleeve before answering. "Yeah, that's right."

"A-Are there… any bathrooms around here?"

Before Qrow could respond, Ruby began laughing, which Blake did not take as a good sign. The hunter smirked. "Nooope."

Blake's ears laid back slightly. Qrow then waved his hand dismissively. "Don't be too worried about it, though. I mean, there _are_ bathrooms, there's just no plumbing.

The information was only a small relief to the faunus. "Lovely."

Weiss shivered slightly at the thought. "I'm with Blake on this one."

The group sat in the house for a few hours, not realizing how much time had passed until they heard very light snoring coming from Ruby. Weiss looked down at her girlfriend and smiled. _"She's so cute like this. Well, more than usual."_

Weiss gently swept a stray hair out of Ruby's face, then looked to Qrow. "Um… Qrow?"

The hunter looked up at the heiress. "Hm?"

"How… bad was it here? When you and Ruby were here last time? If you don't mind me asking."

Qrow took a deep breath. "It was bad. Honestly, there were a few times when I almost called it quits, but as hunters and huntresses, it's our job to protect people, so we had to stay." Qrow's gaze turned toward the fire. "I wasn't really worried about me. Ruby was the one I was worried about. She went through a lot. Even though she might not show it, I'm still not convinced she is over everything that happened here."

A few seconds passed before Weiss spoke up again. "Is it true what she said about the Mistrae? That they can change into people that you're thinking about?"

The hunter nodded slowly, not taking his eyes off of the fire place. "Yeah, it's true. It's not easy to fight something when it looks and sounds like someone that you care about."

"And she saw her mother, right?"

Qrow's eyes snapped to Weiss, anger behind them. However, It wasn't directed at heiress. It was more like he was angry about what the Mistrae had put Ruby through. "Yup, she saw Summer. We both did."

The heiress lowered her head, uncomfortable under the hunter's gaze. "I'm sorry. That must have been very difficult for the two of you."

"Yeah… it was somethin' alright."

Weiss got the feeling that Qrow really didn't want to talk about the subject further, so she dropped it.

More time passed and Weiss eventually let out a yawn, followed by Yang and Blake. "What time is it, anyway? I feel so tired."

Qrow stretched his arms above his head and groaned slightly. "There's no telling. It's hard to pick up how time flows in this place." He stood up and walked towards his bag. He pulled out a rolled up sleeping bag and headed to a corner of the room. "Well, I don't see any point in going back out there today, considering how late it feels. I'm gonna get some rest, I encourage you girls to do the same."

He threw the sleeping bag on the floor, rolled it out and slipped inside. "Just… keep your wits about you. This place isn't safe." With that, he rolled over and shut his eyes.

Weiss let out another yawn and decided to lay down. She moved Ruby without waking her up and laid down next to her. _"Should I get our sleeping bags?"_ The fire answers her question for her as it pops slightly and gives off a small wave of warmth. _"I guess we'll be fine for tonight."_ She gets into a comfortable position and closes her eyes, leaving Blake and Yang the only two awake.

The blonde lets out a yawn of her own and begins to pull her sleeping bag out of her backpack. "Well, since everyone else is doing it, I guess I'm gonna get some sleep too. What about you, Blake?"

The faunus nodded. "I think that's for the best. We should rest for tomorrow."

A few moments pass and, eventually, everyone in the house is asleep, the only sound being the occasional crackle or pop from the fire.

* * *

"Weiss! Weiss, wake up!"

The heiress awoke to Ruby nudging her and whisper-yelling in her ear. "Huh? What is it?"

Ruby pointed to one of the windows in the house. "I think there's something outside."

Weiss listens and, sure enough, the sound of heavy footsteps can be heard outside of the house. "What should we do?"

Ruby thinks for a moment before responding. "I think we should wake up Uncle Qrow."

Suddenly, they hear his voice from across the room. "No need. I'm already up." Qrow gets up out of his sleeping bag and makes his way to the window very, _very_ slowly. He moves a curtain out of the way and peers outside. The two girls hear him curse under his breath.

"Uncle Qrow, what is it?"

"It's a Grimm."

Chills run down Ruby's spine. "I-Is it… one of _them_?"

The hunter shakes his head. "It's just a Beowolf."

Weiss sits up and rubs her eyes. "Should we fight it?"

"No. Grimm like this usually travel in packs. There's no way to know just how many of them are out there. Or how close they are. It would be best for us to sit tight in here. I'll keep an eye on this thing. You two get some more rest."

The two girls nod and lay back down. They fall back to sleep fairly quickly.

Meanwhile, Qrow watches the Grimm closely. It makes it's way through the village until it reaches one of the outer walls. It jumps over it and Qrow begins to hear its footsteps slowly fade away. When he is sure that it is gone, and sees no more Grimm in the area, he heads back to his sleeping bag and lays down, but keeps his eye on the window until he falls asleep.

* * *

The members of Team RWBY are jolted awake by Qrow's voice. "Alright, ladies, time to get up!" He then clapped his hands together several times. "We don't have all day, so get up and get movin'!"

The girls groggily sat up and began to get their things together. As they finished packing up the last of their items, Ruby's stomach let out a growl. She placed her hand over it and looked to her uncle. "… Breakfast?"

The hunter shook his head. "Not today, we have a lot of ground to cover if we ever hope to find those things. I'm sorry, Ruby, but we have to get going."

The young girl hung her head. "Okay, I understand."

Qrow placed his hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry about it too much. We can stop somewhere along the way and fix something for lunch." He then made his way to the front door, opened, and motioned for the girls to head outside. "Now, let's get this show in the road."

As they walked through the city, Ruby looks at everything around her, remembering all of the people she had met. She began to wonder how they were holding up after everything. Then, she realized that they were heading towards one of the outer walls.

She looked to the front of the group. "Hey, Uncle Qrow, are we leaving the village?"

Qrow nodded. "Yeah, we're heading out. I actually have an idea of where to start the investigation at."

Ruby raised an eyebrow. "And where would that be?"

"The crater."

The young girl's eyes widened a bit and her head dropped. "Oh… okay."

Qrow stopped walking and turned around to look at her. "Ruby, if you're not okay with it, you can stay here. Someone can stay with you and we can come back to get you after we've looked around a little more."

Ruby shook her head. "No, I'll be fine. Let's go."

"Alright."

They reached the wall and slowly climbed over, one by one, each time readying themselves for an attack once they crossed over to the other side. After seeing no Grimm, they take a more relaxed stance and began heading towards the crater.

The entire walk, Qrow kept an eye on Ruby, making sure she was holding up well through the whole thing. She didn't seem very enthusiastic about coming to the crater, but she was determined to not let her feelings stop her. It was something that made Qrow respect her as an up and coming huntress.

As they made their way across the landscape, the crater began to come into view. Qrow stuck out a finger towards the area. "There, that's where we're headed."

A few minutes passed, and the group was standing on the edge of the chasm, staring at the bottom of it. They stood there in silence, just taking it all in. Yang was this first to speak. " _HOLE_ -y crap, that's big."

The pun was met with scoffs and rolled eyes as they slowly descended into the crater. Yang was left at the top, admiring her own joke, as no one else found it amusing. The blonde crossed her arms and pouted. _"Screw you guys, that was funny."_ She then made her way down the slick dirt wall and joined the others at the bottom.

As they looked around Ruby's eyes were drawn to one of the walls of the crater. There was a small dent in the center of it, and as she studied it, she realized that it was the spot that Ivory's body slammed into it at when the Alpha struck her. Her mind quickly filled with sadness and anger and she clenched her fists tightly. _"I swear, I'll hunt every last one of those things down and kill them myself if I have to."_

She was shaken out of her thoughts when she felt a hand on her shoulder. "Ruby, are you okay?"

The young girl turned around and her eyes met bright blue ones. "Yeah, Weiss. I'm okay. This place just… It's just not easy for me to be here."

"Do you want to head back up? I'll go with you."

Ruby shook her head. "No, it's fine. I'll stay here with everyone." She slowly made her way to Qrow, who was standing in the middle of the crater. "So, got any ideas?"

"Not yet. Honestly, I don't really know where to start. I was hoping to find something here that would give us some sort of lead, but I don't know what I expected to find. It's not like Grimm leave behind remains or anything like that." He looked down and noticed a few mechanical pieces from the Atlesian Knights. "The same can't be said for those so-called 'state-of-the-art' machines." He ended the statement by kicking one of the pieces a good distance away.

Ruby bent down, picked one of the pieces up, and studied it. "Hey, Uncle Qrow?"

The hunter looked down at his niece. "Yeah?"

"Those… _things_ , the Mistrae… Do you think that they could turn into one of the knights?"

Qrow scratched the back of his head. "Well, I don't know. I mean, you can't really make eye contact with something that doesn't have any eyes."

"But if someone was thinking about them, do you think they could turn into them then?"

The hunter shrugged. "I dunno, maybe. What made that question pop into your head?"

"Nothing, it was just a thought." Ruby placed the small piece of metal in one of her pockets and stood up. "So, what now?"

Qrow took out his flask and took a large swig of it. "I guess we head out of this damn hole and look somewhere else for clues, though I doubt we'll find anything worthwhile."

Ruby nodded and walked back to Weiss. "Okay, you ready to head back up?"

The heiress smiled. "Sure, let's go."

As the group climbed out of the hole, Qrow's looked towards a thick line of trees off in the distance. After looking at it a moment, he saw a black shape just behind the line of trees. _"… Is that?"_ He shook his head slightly, thinking that the shape could have been a figment of his imagination. He focused his gaze back on the same spot, only to see that whatever was once there, was gone. _"Must've been my eyes playing tricks on me. No need to bring this up, I guess."_

However, Ruby had also seen the same thing, her mind instantly figuring out what it was. She let out a small gasp. _"It's a Mistrae!"_ She watched it slowly turn around and head deeper into the thicket. _"I wonder if I should tell Uncle Qrow about this..."_ A small shock went through her as she felt a hand on her shoulder.

"Ruby, what's wrong?"

Ruby turned around to see her sister staring at her, her face expressing concern. "N-Nothing. Just thinking about some stuff."

Yang raised an eyebrow suspiciously, but decided not to press the matter. "Okay, if you say so."

Ruby walked over to her uncle and nudged him in the side. "Hey, there's something I need to talk to you about."

"What is it?"

She motioned for him to bend down so that she could whisper in his ear. "I think I saw one of them."

The hunter's eyes widened. "Really? Where?"

Ruby gestured towards the trees. "Over there. I only saw it for a second, then it turned around and walked further into the trees and I lost sight of it."

Qrow nodded. "Right, I saw it too."

"You did? And you weren't gonna tell me?"

"Well, I thought about it, but I didn't get a clear look at it. It was only for a split second and then it was gone. I figured I had just imagined it, but since you saw it too, I guess I was wrong." He glanced back at the rest of the team, then back to Ruby. "And how about we keep this between us for now. No need to worry the others."

"Sounds good. So, what do we do?"

Qrow took another drink from his flask. "We follow it. It might lead us to the rest of them, if there are any more, anyway."

Ruby nodded. "Right..." Worry slowly spread across her face.

Her uncle noticed and threw an arm around her. "Hey, relax, kiddo. We've got this handled. I've seen what you can do, and if the other three are even half as strong as you are, this should be no problem for us, okay?"

"O-Okay." The words did comfort her somewhat, but she still couldn't shake the fear that the creatures instilled in her. "Then let's go."

Qrow smiled. "Yes, ma'am."

The hunter stood back up and directed the other girls attention. "Okay, we're heading into this line of trees. It looks pretty thick in there, so be prepared for a fight. Vision will be limited so you'll need to rely on your other senses more than usual. Are we clear?"

"Yes, sir."

"Good. Let's move."

They made their way towards the trees. It wasn't too far of a walk, as they managed to reach them in just a couple of minutes. Once there, they quickly figured out that it wasn't just a line of trees.

As they stepped into the thicket, they realized that the line was simply on the edge of a cliff. After just a few steps passed the first trees, the hill sloped drastically into what appeared to be a large river basin, at one time. Whatever water was once there had been gone for a very long time. Tall, thick, green trees followed the angle of the hill, winding their way down until they reached the bottom and formed into an extremely dense forest.

Qrow scratched the back of his head nervously. "Well, I didn't expect something like this." He began to work his way down the hill, stumbling every so often while he had trouble keeping his footing. "Be careful coming down here. It's steeper than it looks."

After inching down the hill for what seemed like forever, they finally reached the bottom. Qrow looked around and took in their surroundings. "Well, it looks like it's going to be hard to navigate in this place. Stick close to each other. Don't leave the group for any reason."

As they trekked through the forest, they eventually came upon a small clearing. It looked to be a campsite at one time, but was now just another part of the Grimm's territory. Even though there appeared to be no threat around, Qrow couldn't shake the feeling that they were being watched. He placed his hand on the handle of his sword, which Ruby noticed.

"Uncle Qrow?"

The hunter held a single finger up to his mouth. "Shh."

Suddenly, they heard a deep, howling sound echoing around them. It was coming from multiple directions at once. The remaining members of the group readied their weapons.

"… Beowolves." Ruby stabbed her scythe into the ground, ready to lunge at the first enemy she saw.

Then, no more than five feet in front of them, they saw the unmistakable red eyes of a Grimm piercing through a bush. Qrow pulled out his sword and hunched over slightly, ready for battle. "Get ready, you four. We're about to have a fight on our hands."

* * *

 **Hey. 'Sup. how you doin'? Havin' a good day? If you are, great. If not, well... sorry about that.**

 **Anyway, here's the new chapter! Hope you all enjoyed it.**

 **Please follow, favorite, and review. I'll see you guys in the next chapter!**

 **:D**


	24. The Calm Before the Storm

Several bushes and some smaller trees were shoved aside as the group of Beowolves lunged at the hunters. As the first Beowolf jumped towards the group, Qrow sliced it in half before it hit the ground.

Meanwhile, some of the other Grimm had circled around the team and attacked them from behind. Yang and Blake quickly spun around to face them. Blake parried an attack of one of the Grimm, while Yang simply dodged another one and countered it with a powerful punch, sending it crashing back into the trees.

Suddenly, two Beowolves attacked from the side, targeting Ruby and Weiss. Weiss summoned a glyph in front of her and watched as the Grimm smashed into it and fell to the ground, disoriented. However, they quickly regained their composure and charged as a pair. Weiss felt a small amount of pressure on her back and instinctively bent down.

As she did so, Ruby pressed the ball of her foot into the heiress' back. She lifted herself into the air and pulled a small trigger at the base of Crescent Rose's handle, causing a blade to shoot out of the bottom of it. She grabbed the center of the handle and pressed a button, which allowed her to pull the bottom half of her weapon away from the top half, leaving her with a blade in either arm. As she pulled the two sections of the weapon apart, the top blade of her scythe straightened out, almost taking the shape of a sword.

She reached her arms back and spun quickly, decapitating the two attacking Grimm. As she landed, she turned around to face the rest of the team. It seemed like all of the Grimm had been taken care of, as everyone was simply standing still and looking at the forest surrounding them, trying to make sure their battle was over.

After a few moments pass, they group of hunters relax slightly, as it seemed everything had calmed down. Ruby, Weiss, Yang, and Blake put their weapons away and face each other. As they begin to catch their breath after the fight, Qrow turns to the four girls behind him. "Well, is everyone okay?"

They all nod in unison.

Qrow then pulls out his flask and starts to take a drink, only to discover something that quickly annoys him. "… Damn it."

Ruby tilts her head in curiousity. "Uncle Qrow, what is it?"

The hunter sighs and places his flask back in his pocket, a small forwn on his face. "… It's empty."

The young girl crosses her arms behind her back and kicks the ground with the tip of her boot, unsure of how to respond. "Oh… uh… I'm sorry?"

Qrow shrugs. "Well, it was bound to happen sooner or later. I should have filled it up before we left, but it's too late for that now." He stretches his arms out in front of him and cracks his knuckles. "I guess we should keep going, but don't relax too much. That attack came out of nowhere, we need to be ready in case something like that happens again."

They begin to venture deeper into the forest. Every few minutes, they hear the sound of several things moving around them. They see shapes moving quickly every now and then, but the thick, dense foliage obscures their vision, not giving them a clear picture of what exactly is out there.

Every time they hear a noise, Qrow places his hand on his sword, but nothing ever happens. No attack, no growl or roar, no other sound except the movement of _something_ just beyond their line of sight.

After walking for what seemed like an hour, they break out of the forest and are faced with a large clearing, filled with tall grass, dilapidated buildings, and overgrown streets. The past had not been kind to this place. Most of the buildings had fallen in on themselves after being undisturbed for so long.

Yang stares at the area and her mouth drops slightly. "Wow, this place is huge."

Qrow nods. "Yeah, this must have been another part of the city at one point. Watch out, Grimm could be hiding out in these buildings. You never know."

They advance through the new territory slowly, and eventually come across a small building that is still somewhat standing. As they approach it, they realize that it was simply an entrance hall to a larger building that had long since collapsed behind it. They examine it closely, and realize that when the main building fell, large pieces of it splintered and lay scattered around the entrance.

Seeing the ruined structure gives Qrow and idea. "Okay, you four, I've got an idea. Pick up a few of these pieces of that building laying around and take them over to the entrance."

They split up in groups of two, making sure that they are always within eyesight of each other. They start picking up pieces and carrying them in pairs to the entrance. Once they've gathered a generous amount, Qrow steps in front of them. "Right, now we need to line them up against the back of that hall over there. Maybe a little on the front, too, it wouldn't hurt."

They lean the debris against the entrance carefully, trying not to undo everything that they had done with each piece they placed. Once the back had been covered, they step inside. The entrance was big enough for the four of them to occupy it comfortably, even with the back of it barricaded.

Qrow steps out briefly, and returns with an armful of small logs. He sets them down in the center of the area and gestures for Weiss to come closer to him.

The heiress makes her way to him, slightly nervous. "Yes?"

"Weiss, can you get another fire going?"

The girl nodded. "Of course."

"Good, do it." Qrow then spun around to face his oldest nice. "Yang, come with me. I need your help."

"You got it." She then follows him out of the shelter and just out of sight of the remaing three. They return quickly, each of them holding several logs, much larger than the ones that Qrow had just brought in.

Qrow points to one side of the shelter. "Okay, put one over there, then one towards the back."

Yang nods and follows Qrow's instructions. As they place the final log on the ground, Weiss starts the fire. They scoot the logs slightly closer to the fire and sit on them. After making sure everyone was calm, Qrow begins running over the details of the Mistrae, making sure they remembered everything that he and Ruby had told them.

"Ruby, I know you have all of this stuff down already, so don't worry about this." He then points at the other three members of the team. "But you three, do you remember what we told you about fighting these things?"

Blake was the first to speak. "No eye contact."

"Good. What else?"

Weiss spoke up this time. "They are unable to bleed, making them easy to tell apart from real people."

"Excellent. Now, what do you do if you think someone could actually be a Mistrae?"

Yang answered. "Try to get them to bleed somehow, I guess. If they don't willingly do it, then they're probably not the real person."

"Okay, but what if you are attacked by one?"

The blonde opened her mouth to speak, but quickly shut it, not sure the answer she wanted to give was the one that Qrow was looking for. Seeing that Yang had shut her mouth, Blake answered for her. "I would assume that the best course of action would be to fend it off, while simultaneously shouting for help and avoiding eye contact."

Qrow nodded. "That's definitely one way to go about it. What else? What do you do if you make eye contact with one of them?"

Yang knew the answer right away. "Clear your head and don't think about anything except the Grimm, that way they can't change into anyone or anything, except you."

The hunter looked on, an expectant expression on his face. "And then?"

The blonde held out her arm and made a slicing motion across it with her thumb. "You cut yourself. When someone finds you they'll be able to tell which is the real one fast. If you haven't killed the grimm by then, anyway."

The hunter smiled. "Okay, you girls all pass. I just wanted to make sure that you had everything down in case we get into trouble with those things."

The fire cracked and popped, drawing everyone's attention to it. They all inched closer, arms outstretched, taking in all of the warmth that they could get. However, the moment was short-lived, as they heard movement just outside of the shelter.

Everyone gets up and slowly peeks around the corner of the entrance. Sitting on top of another collapsed building, was a Mistrae. Ruby let out a small gasp. "...It's a Mistrae," she whispered.

Yang and Blake stared in curiosity, both having the same thought. _"So that's what they look like."_

Qrow began to draw his sword, but Ruby stopped him. "Uncle Qrow, wait, I want to try something."

The hunter looked at her, confused. "What do you mean? That thing is dangerous and we need to deal with it."

"I know, but I have an idea, something that might help us out later."

Qrow didn't want to let Ruby do anything that could lead to her getting hurt, but his gut instinct told him to trust her. He reluctantly agreed. "… Fine, but if this looks at all like it's going south, we're coming out there."

Ruby smiled. "Well, I would hope so."

She crept out of the entrance and made her way towards the Grimm, with the rest of the group watching her every move. She placed her hand on her scythe, drew it out and planted its blade firmly in the ground, making enough noise to get the creature's attention.

It advanced towards her, snarling. It stopped when it was about fifteen feet from her, then she locked eyes with it. It let out a deep growl and slowly morphed into an exact copy of her, complete with its own version of Crescent Rose.

However, the Grimm almost seemed confused, as Ruby showed no reaction. As it stared at her, she slowly ran her fingers across the piece of machinery in her pocket, that was once part of an Atlesian Knight.

The beast snarled and growled again, then slowly took the shape of the robot. Ruby's expression changed. Her mouth fell open slightly and her eyes widened. _"Yes! It worked!"_

However, Ruby was so surprised that her plan was successful, that she was frozen in place when the Mistrae positioned itself to attack. It raised its weapon and fired a shot towards her. She began to pull her scythe out of the ground to block the attack, but it was too late.

At least, it would have been, if Qrow hadn't come between the two of them at the perfect moment. In one swift motion, he blocked the bullet aimed for his niece, jumped towards the Mistrae and cleaved the creature in two with one strike. The Grimm's body began to evaporate and the hunter looked to Ruby, his face expressing both anger and relief.

He placed his sword in the harness on his lower back, brought his hand towards Ruby, and flicked her on the forehead. Ruby recoiled at the action, rubbing the spot her uncle's finger had just left. "Ow! What was that for?"

Qrow let out a long breath. "The next time you have a plan like that, how about you fill us all in on it, yeah? And try not to just stand there when your being attacked. That's a good way to get yourself killed."

She scratched the back of her head and laughed nervously. "Yeah, sorry about that. I wasn't sure it would work, so I didn't want to bring it up. I thought it might be stupid."

Qrow looked at the Mistrae's carcass as it finished dissappearing. "Well, I think you could have handled it better, but I'm glad it worked. This gives us the upperhand on them."

The next thing Ruby heard was fast-approaching footsteps. She turned around and immediately spun back around, scared of what she had just seen.

Weiss was walking angrily towards her, her eyes a fixed glare. She stood behind Ruby, reached out an arm and turned her around. "Ruby Rose! What were you thinking?! You could have gotten yourself hurt, or worse! Why didn't you just tell us about your 'plan'?!"

The younger girl began to fidget under the eyes of the heiress. "W-Well… I… um… I guess I pro- mphf!"

Ruby was cut off as Weiss pulled her into a hug and kissed her. It took Ruby a moment before she realized what was happening, but she quickly returned the gesture. After they parted, the heiress stared into her partner's eyes. "I'm glad you're okay, even more glad that your idea worked, but don't scare me like that anymore, okay? I don't want to lose you."

The younger girl grinned. "Okay, I'll be more careful next time."

"That's all I ask." She then moved in for another kiss, which was interrupted by their blonde teammate. "C'mon, you two, get a room for that sort of thing."

The statement earned her a glare from Weiss, and a light nudge in the ribs from Blake. "Be quiet, Yang. It's kind of sweet that she was so worried about her."

Yang sighed. "I guess you're right." The blonde looked at the couple, a slight hint of envy was present in her gaze. "It must be nice to have someone to worry about you like that."

Blake nervously clutched one of her arms. "Well... I worry about you. I'm sure Ruby and Weiss do too."

The blonde smiled. "Thanks, but I mean something like _that_." She pointed a finger towards Weiss and Ruby. "Someone that cares about you, y'know?"

The faunus nodded. "Yes, I see what you mean."

Yang patted her gently on the shoulder. "It means a lot that you would worry about me though. Thanks, Blake."

"D-Don't mention it."

They walked over to the other three members of the group as Qrow was trying to decide where to go from here. "So, we just figured out that we can trick them into changing into something that can't possibly be here. That's good, but for now, I suggest we keep moving."

They began to walk further into the clearing, which had slowly started to change. What was once a bright green field, littered with the ruins of the city that once stood there, was beginning to turn into a dark, eerie territory. The buildings were ruined, but they were also decomposing at a much quicker rate than the ones in the previous area.

Some of the buildings had decomposed to the point that different parts of them had begun to fall away, turning into a mixture of structural debris and dust, mixing with the grass, giving it a discolored look. As they walked on it, they felt the grass crunch, almost as if the dust had hardened it slightly.

The deeper they went into the clearing, the more uncomfortable they became. Ruby rested her hand firmly on her weapon. "This place is creepier than the other one."

Yang nodded in agreement. "You can say that again."

They tread carefully, constantly watching everything around them. They felt like they were being watched. As they walked further, a small hill came into view. They hiked up the side of it, and as they gazed at what was on the other side, they began to feel even more uneasy.

Laying on the ground, was a humongous skyscraper. In its side, a massive hole had formed. Simply looking inside the hole gave the group a feeling of dread. Ruby walked up until she was next to her uncle. "What happened to that thing?"

Qrow shook his head. "I don't know, but if I had to guess, with a hole that big, and taking into account the darkness hanging over this whole area, I would say that this was a cave for the Alpha."

A chill ran through her spine as she remembered the hulking monstrosity they had fought. "S-So do you think it's empty now?"

The hunter didn't take his eyes off of the building. "I don't know, but I suggest that we don't stick around to find out right now. It doesn't feel safe here. Let's head back for now and figure out what to do next."

"R-Right."

The group quickly descended down the hill and walked towards their shelter at a brisk pace. Once they arrived, they realized that the fire Weiss had lit earlier was still going. The girls immediately ran inside and sat close to it, warming themselves up.

Qrow walked in behind them and sat on a log towards the back of the fire. He pulled out his scroll and looked at it. _"Damn it, that's what I thought."_

Ruby noticed the look of annoyance on the hunter's face. "Uncle Qrow, is something wrong?"

Qrow shrugged. "No, I just checked to see if I could get a signal on my scroll out here."

"And?"

He slid his scroll back into his pocket and sighed. "Nothing. Scrolls are still useless out here." He then reached for his flask, only to remember its contents had been emptied, cursing himself internally.

"Oh, well, that makes sense. I mean, they didn't work when we were here last time, either."

"Yeah, I just thought I would check and make sure. Nothing we can do about it, though."

As the group sat in the makeshift shelter, Ruby began to get anxious after sitting still for so long. "So, what now? We can't just sit here."

Qrow nodded. "You're right, and I think I have an idea."

The four girls suddenly looked more alert after hearing the hunter's words. "What do you mean?"

The hunter leaned back slightly, popping several of his joints. "Well, I think it's safe to assume that the Mistrae are still hanging around here. After all, we did see one just outside earlier, plus, we found that huge cave. If there are any more out here, I'm sure that they are nearby."

"So, where does that leave us?"

"I think we should wait here for a while. I would say we could wait for it to turn dark, but it's always dark in this place. If we hold out here for a little bit, rest up and prepare ourselves accordingly, then we can advance on the building in full strength. It's a little risky, but right now, I think it's the best course of action."

The girls all looked at one another, trying to read each other's expressions. The area was silent for a few moments, until Yang clapped her hands together. "Hey, risky is better than nothing, right?"

Weiss nodded. "She's right. If it's all that we can think of, then we should act on it. It might be the only chance that we have."

Qrow leaned forward slightly and laced his fingers together. "Okay then, let's get ready."

* * *

The fire cracked loudly as everyone prepared themselves for their upcoming fight. After making sure the entire group was ready to depart, Weiss pulled out a vial of Frost Dust and extinguished the fire. They left their backpacks in the shelter, accepting that they would just get in the way, should a fight break out.

They slowly made their way towards the clearing in the distance, nervous about everything that could happen once they arrived. As they approached the hill that blocked the Mistrae's lair from sight, they climbed slowly, making sure to peek their heads just over the top of the hill.

Qrow then ducked down and turned to face the girls. "Now, once we get in there, there is no telling what will happen. We don't know how many Mistrae are left. There could be none, there could be one, or there could be a lot. Are you ready?"

The girls all replied with a nod.

Qrow stood up, making sure his sword was secured in its harness on his back. "Okay then, let's do this."

They climb over the hill and begin advancing towards the collapsed building. As they get closer, they start to hear muffled sounds coming from inside it. They draw their weapons and prepare themselves to fight how ever many Mistrae there are. Within moments, several red eyes appear in the windows of the building. There had to be dozens of them.

Ruby's blood ran cold. "T-There's so many of them."

Qrow placed a hand on her shoulder. "It'll be okay, we're ready this time."

Just as he finished speaking, several of the building's windows burst open as Grimm jump out of them and begin charging at the group. However, they are shocked at what they see before them. It's not Mistrae, but two large groups of other Grimm. One comprised of Beowolves, led by an Alpha, the other made up of Boarbatusks.

Nevertheless, they begin advancing towards the Grimm, ready to meet them in combat. But just before they reach them, several ear-rattling growls and roars can be heard. The charging Grimm stop dead in their tracks, and for the first time in their lives, the group saw something that they didn't even know was possible. Grimm showed fear.

The two groups of Grimm quickly turned around and retreated back into the building, while the team of hunters slowly turned around. They finally see the source of the Grimm's fear. Standing at the top of the hill, was a large gathering of Mistrae. There were at least two dozen of them.

Qrow swallowed hard and transformed his sword into its scythe form. The others merely looked on in shock, surprised by the sheer number of Mistrae that stood before them, on the hill that they had crossed mere minutes ago, no less.

They all take their fighting stances, ready for anything. The two groups of enemies remained still, waiting to see which would make the first move. Ruby quickly pulled apart her weapon, turning it into it's dual wielding form, which she had used earlier.

Weiss looked at the weapon with surprise. Ruby had forgotten to show her the modifications that she had added to Crescent Rose. While she had seen Ruby use it earlier, she hadn't got a good look at it, due to them being in the middle of combat. She looked on, making a mental note to ask Ruby to show her what else it was capable of later.

Meanwhile, Ruby refused to take her eyes off the Grimm in front of her. She was ready to avenge everyone that had fallen prey to the beasts. The only things present in her mind at this moment were determination... and rage. She stabbed one of her blades into the ground, taunting the group of Mistrae.

" _Come and get me, you bastards."_

The Mistrae began to make their way down the hill, picking up speed until they were at a full sprint. However, once they reached the bottom of the hill, they broke apart and quickly formed a circle around the hunters, until they surrounded them completely.

The group of hunters turned their backs towards one another, closing any gaps between them.

The Mistrae then slowly began to walk in the circle pattern that they had formed, baring their teeth and snarling like rabid dogs.

Qrow took a deep breath. "Get ready, girls."

After a few moments, the Grimm lunged at them. The team then raised their weapons, ready to clash with the creatures.

"… _Here goes nothing."_

* * *

 **Hey there, people. Here's the new chapter. I hope everyone likes it.**

 **Y'know, I should really start thinking out the Author's Notes more, because sometimes always hard to find something to talk about. I mean, I always like to talk to you guys a little bit at the end of each chapter, but I guess my brain just decides it doesn't want to work every now and then.**

 **Oh well. I'll see y'all in the next chapter!**

 **OH! WAIT WAIT WAIT WAIT! Somehow, this story has managed to reach 200 favorites! That's incredible! I literally can't put into words how awesome that is! I'm so happy that people have enjoyed this story enough to stick it with it, despite some of its rough spots. *cough cough* _flashback_ *cough cough***

 **Seriously, you guys are awesome! Thank you sooooo much.**

 **Okay, I updated this chapter just to put that in there. I hadn't noticed it until now. Thanks again. Anyway, NOW I'll see you guys in the next chapter.**

 **:D**


	25. Deception

One of the Mistrae was mid-air as Qrow swung his scythe into the creature, killing it instantly. Before he could finish the swing with his weapon, another Grimm was directly in front of him, ready to strike. He quickly flipped his scythe in his hand and brought its blade up into the Mistrae's abdomen, barely getting the blow off before the Grimm could touch him. _"Man, that was a close one."_

Ruby, on the other hand, wasn't even concerned with taking a hit; too focused on her rage to think. She was getting more aggressive as the fight went on. Her hatred towards the creatures grew stronger every time her blades collided with one of the beasts.

" _I..."_ She struck one down that was ready to attack her. _"Will..."_ Another one down. _"Kill..."_ She quickly dispatched one as it leapt over her, aiming itself towards Weiss. _"Them..."_ She pressed a small trigger at the base of her smaller weapon and pushed a small button. _"ALL!"_ The blade bent slightly and shot a small explosive round out of it, taking out several Mistrae in the process.

Meanwhile, Weiss was fighting to the best of her ability, but she was hindered by not being able to make eye contact. The new form of combat was something that she never thought she would have to deal with, and she wasn't nearly as efficient as she could be, if she didn't have to focus on _not_ looking into their eyes. She made good use of her glyphs, however.

After the Grimm tried attacking her from the sides several times, an idea popped into her head. She summoned four glyphs around her that slightly bowed out in the center, away from her. There was one in each of her weak spots at all times – one to her left and right, one behind her, and one above her. If one of the Mistrae touched it, they immediately recoiled in pain, and the heiress could quickly turn around and finish it off.

Blake was having the same problem as Weiss. It wasn't the fact that she couldn't make eye contact, that was fine, but she was so worried about not doing it, that she was having trouble concentrating on the rest of the fight. She used her semblance to quickly dodge the Grimm's attacks, then dashed in with Gambol Shroud and launched a counter attack.

Yang dispatched a few nearby Mistrae with ease. They landed a few hits on her, but that simply fueled her semblance. She then turned her attention to the hill. There seemed to be another small wave of Grimm heading towards them. " _Oh, you have got to be kidding me."_ She fired a few shots out of her gauntlets in their direction, taking out several of them before she had to reload.

Before long, the Grimm's numbers had quickly diminished. After the hunters had killed a large group of them, there were only two Mistrae left. They slowly backed away, then suddenly turned and ran. After they had retreated a good distance away from the hunters, they split apart and headed in separate directions.

Ruby immediately chased after one of them, while Qrow screamed at her. "Ruby, stop! Don't go running off like that!"

However, the young huntress was too focused on killing the Grimm to register that her uncle was screaming. Qrow grabbed Weiss by the shoulder. "Go after her. Keep her in your sights. Do _not_ lose her."

The heiress nodded and chased after her as Qrow turned to Blake and Yang. "Okay, there's only two left, so I want you two to head back to the camp."

Yang was confused. "Are you sure? Don't you want us to come help you?"

Qrow smiled, but shook his head. "There's only two left. I think we can take 'em. If we're not back within the hour, I want you two to get out of the city and head back to the safe house."

"Okay, just… be safe."

The hunter nodded and turned to chase the Mistrae, but quickly turned around. "Hey, hold up, you two."

The blonde looked to her uncle. "What?"

He reached inside his pocket and brought out his flask, which he then handed to Yang. "Keep that safe."

The girl looked up at him with an expression that said, "Really?"

Qrow winked, then spun around and gave chase to the Grimm, waving his hand behind him. "I mean it!"

"Yeah, yeah." The blonde turned to her teammate. "C'mon, let's head back."

Blake scratched one of her arms nervously. "Are you sure that we shouldn't stay and help them out? These things are dangerous, after all."

Yang waved her hand dismissively. "Nah, it'll be fine. I'm sure Uncle Qrow can handle himself against things like this. Probably Ruby too, it looks like she got a lot stronger while she was gone."

The faunus looked in the direction the hunters had left, worry apparent on her face. "Okay, if you're sure..."

"I am, so let's get back. This place creeps me out anyway." She waited for Blake to start heading towards the camp, then quickly followed her.

* * *

"Ruby, wait! I can't keep up with you like this!"

"If we slow down, it could get away! I'm not going to lose it!"

Weiss followed her partner as fast as she was able, but Ruby was making use of her semblance every now and then, making it very hard for the heiress to keep her in view, let alone keep pace with her. "Just slow down a little bit!"

Ruby could see the Mistrae in the distance, and she was slowly gaining ground on it. _"Man, this thing is_ quick _!"_ She used another small burst of speed, trying to keep herself close to the Grimm, but not too far ahead of Weiss. "We're getting closer!"

Weiss was beginning to run out of breath. "Calm down, I'm having trouble keeping up with you."

Ruby burst forwards with her semblance again, closing the distance between her and the creature significantly. She quickly put her weapon back together and it transformed into a scythe. She looked back once at Weiss, then burst forward again, which put her within striking distance. She brought her weapon up and slammed it into the Mistrae, pinning it to the ground.

Weiss quickly approached her and stopped when she saw the creature. She bent forward slightly and placed her hands on her knees. "I'm glad that you caught this thing, but next time will you slow down just a little?"

"Sorry, I just didn't want to lose this thing." She positioned her scythe so that its gun was aimed at the Grimm's head, then fired a shot, then another, then another. She fired until the creature stopped moving.

Weiss placed her hand on Ruby's shoulder. "Ruby, it's dead."

The younger girl took a deep breath. "I know, I just… I hate these things for what they've done. I guess I got carried away." Ruby pulled her scythe out of the creature and turned to Weiss. "Well, that's taken care of, let's go find Uncle Qrow."

The heiress nodded and they began to make their way back to the last place they had seen the hunter.

After searching for a while, they couldn't find him and Ruby began to get worried. "What if that thing got to him? What if h-h'es..."

Weiss rubbed her back gently. "Relax, I'm sure he's fine." As the words came out of her mouth, the pair noticed an outline of a person in the distance. Weiss stretched her arm out and pointed a finger towards it. "Look, that has to be him. There's no way that anyone else would be out here."

They made their way over to the outline and quickly figured out that it was Qrow. Ruby ran up and hugged im. "I'm so glad you're okay! I was worried about you."

Weiss started to raise her sword and point it at the hunter. "Ruby, wait. We don't know if that's him or not."

The younger girl cursed herself internally and stepped away from her "uncle". "U-Uncle Qrow?"

The hunter pulled out a small knife and dragged it across his arm. After a few seconds, blood flowed out of the fresh cut, "There. Y'know, I'm glad you two are safe, and I'm happy that you were worried about me, but it's a good thing Weiss was here. If I had turned out to be a Grimm, you could be dead right now."

Ruby hung her head. "Y-Yeah, I know. I was just… I didn't want to think I had lost you… not after Mom..."

Qrow's face softened and he pulled Ruby into a hug. "Well, you didn't. I'm okay, so you don't need to worry about something like that."

Ruby pulled away from him and looked into his eyes. "So, did you kill the other one?"

Qrow shook his head. "No. I lost it. I don't know where it went, but it's out there, somewhere. I suggest we group back up and go looking for it."

"Right."

They then began to make their way back to the camp to meet up with Blake and Yang.

* * *

"Hey, Blake, did Weiss leave that dust here earlier? It freakin' cold and a fire sounds amazing." Yang had sat down on one of the logs in the shelter and rubbed her hands over her arms. "I don't even know how you're not cold. I mean, I'm freezing, and that's saying something."

Blake walked over to Weiss' bag and rummaged through it until she found a small vial of dust. She pulled it out and walked over to where their previous fire had been. "Actually, I _am_ cold, but I tend to get that way a lot, so I'm quite used to it by now."

Yang smirked. "Is that because you're part kit-"

The faunus shot her a glare. "Finish that sentence, and you'll regret it."

The blonde laughed nervously. "Okay, fair enough." She then noticed the bottle in Blake's hand. "Oh, is that the dust?"

The black-haired girl nodded. "I think so, there was only two bottles in her bag. One was red and one was white. I think it's safe to assume that the red one would start fires, so this should be the, what was it, Scorch Dust?"

"Makes sense to me." Yang quickly stacked several branches and twigs together as Blake walked over with the dust. "Now, let's get this baby going!"

However, just before they lit the fire, they heard movement outside. Blake's ears twitched as she listened closely to the noise. "Something is outside."

"Huh? Oh, it's probably just the Ruby, Weiss and Uncle Qrow."

The blonde stood up and started walking outside, but Blake grabbed her arm and shook her head. "I don't think so. It sounds… different."

A perplexed expression made its way onto Yang's face. "What are you talking about?"

"Well, it sounds like there's only one thing out there. If it was the others, it wouldn't sound like that."

"In that case, it's probably just a Grimm. Let's go check it out."

The pair made their way towards the front of the shelter and poked their heads around the side of the entrance. Then, on top of one of the many fallen buildings, was a Mistrae.

Yang gasped and quickly clasped her hand over her mouth. "Blake, what do we do?"

The faunus weighed their options. They could fight it and potentially kill it, which had a high chance of success, or they could wait for the others in the shelter and possibly lose it. "I guess we should fight it."

The blonde nodded and loaded Ember Celica as Blake pulled out Gambol Shroud, but the sound of weapons being drawn drew attracted the Grimm's attention. It looked at the pair of hunters and quickly ran off. The blonde ran out of the building and motioned for Blake to follow her. "You go around the other side and cut it off!"

The faunus dashed out of the shelter and made her way around the fallen building that the Mistrae had previously been on top of. She circled the nearby area several times. _"Where is that thing?"_ She cupped her hands around her mouth and took a deep breath. "Yang, did you find anything?"

There was no response. _"Great, she must be out of earshot. I guess I'll have to find her. She better be okay."_ She decided to venture out further and hoped that she could find her partner quickly.

* * *

It had been roughly thirty minutes since Blake and Yang split up. The latter of the two had been looking everywhere for the Grimm. She had lost its trail about fifteen minutes ago and started to become frustrated. She placed her hands around her mouth in a similar manner that Blake had. "Blake, did you find it?" The only response she got was her own voice as it bounced off her surroundings and echoed back to her. "Blake, you still around?" Once again, she got no answer. _"Damn it!"_

She quickly turned around and started head back towards the camp, but stopped in her tracks when she looked in front of her. _"… Oh my god..."_

Blake stood in front of her. She looked half-dead and clutched her stomach with one hand, and held Gambol Shroud tightly in the other. "Y-Yang." She stumbled forward slightly and Yang ran over to her.

She helped her sit down on the ground and leaned her against a large boulder. "Blake! What happened?!"

The faunus coughed and grabbed her stomach tighter. "I found the Mistrae. I-It was running towards the part of the city that we came in through." She coughed even more. "I chased it down and killed it, but..."

"But what?" Yang grew more concerned by the second.

"It turns out that part of that place is infested with a ton of Grimm. I-I was ambushed. There were too many."

Tears were starting to form in Yang's eyes. She grabbed Blake's shoulders gently, but firmly. "It's okay, you're gonna be okay, everything will be fine. The others should be here any minute now. They'll know what to do."

Blake coughed more and took in a sharp breath. "Okay, I hope they hurry."

Yang started to reach down towards one of the faunus' arms. "Until then, let me look at your stomach. It looks like it's hurting you a lot."

However, Blake recoiled at the action. "D-Don't. I really don't want you to see it."

Yang locked eyes with her. "I need to see how bad it is. Move your arm." As the blonde reached down again, she heard the voices of her teammates. She stood up and looked in the direction the voices were coming from. "Great! They're back! All we have to do is see if Uncle Qrow can ma-"

Yang was cut off, as she suddenly felt a sharp pain in her stomach. She hunched over and looked down. Right beneath her, Blake's hand that had been holding Gambol Shroud was now outstretched, and the weapon's blade had pierced through Yang's abdomen and protruded out of her back.

The blonde looked down, horrified at the sight in front of her. Blake was smirking. The hand that had previously been covering what Yang had assumed to be a wound, was now at her side, revealing a large gash, but no blood. Yang closed her eyes. _"Wow… this whole time… it was the Mistrae… I'm such an idiot."_ She opened her eyes, which were now bright red. She reached down and picked the Mistrae up by its throat. Its face was filled with surprise. She brought it close to her and looked into its eyes. "Imitate Blake when you're dead, you bastard."

She slammed the creature into the ground and began punching repeatedly. "Die, die, die, Die, DIE!" She only stopped when her fist collided with the ground, which meant the Mistrae's body had evaporated. After the effects of her rage wore off, it suddenly became clear to her just how much blood that she had lost.

" _Whew, okay, I should… p-probably lay… down…"_ Her eyes closed slowly as she fell to the ground. The next thing that she heard was the sound of quickly approaching footsteps and her sister's voice.

"YANG!"

Ruby, Qrow and Weiss quickly ran over to the blonde. Ruby grabbed her shoulders and shook her. "Yang! Yang, Talk to me!"

Yang's stared at her sister with half-lidded eyes. "R-Ruby? When did you get back?"

The younger sister had tears streaming down her face. "That doesn't matter! What happened? Where's Blake? How did you get hurt?"

"One of the Mistrae showed up. Me and Blake split up and went after it. It was a stupid idea."

Blood was beginning to pour out of Yang's wound. "Somehow, the Mistrae turned into Blake and got the advantage on me."

Weiss knelt down next to her. "Where is it now? And where is Blake?"

Yang shrugged, and winced at the pain. "I'm not sure. The Grimm is dead, but I haven't seen Blake."

The heiress nodded and stood up. "You two take care of her, I'm going to go find Blake and make sure she is okay."

As Weiss turned around, her eyes met Blake's. "… What happened?"

"Yang fought the Mistrae. She's injured badly."

Blake looked around Weiss and stared at her partner. She ran over to her and crouched down beside Ruby. "Yang… I shouldn't have left you… I'm sorry… I'm so sorry." The faunus looked down at Yang and stared at her wound. Tears began to form in her eyes and she turned her face from the blonde.

Yang turned her head back by her chin and looked into her eyes. She smiled and used her thumb to wipe a tear away, which had been making its way down Blake's face. "Don't cry… kitty cat."

"Y-Yang, I shouldn't have left, I should have stayed with you... This is my fault."

The blonde shook her head. "No, it's not. I should have been more careful."

While the two were talking, Ruby ran over to Qrow. "Uncle Qrow, we have to do something!"

Qrow nodded and walked over to Yang. He pushed Blake aside gently and crouched down beside his wounded niece. He slowly wrapped an arm around her neck, and slid one under her legs. "Come one, firecracker, let's get you out of here." He picked her up and started to head towards the shelter. "Pack up everything. We're leaving."

"What about the Mistrae?"

"I think we got the last of them, but I'm not sure. I'll be sure to have a chat with Ironwood when we get back to Beacon. I don't think we're anywhere close to being done with this place."

The team grabbed their belongings and started to make their way out of the city. Ruby's eyes never left her sisters body. "Uncle Qrow, can I carry her? I can use my semblance and get her out of this place quick, then we can just wait for you guys."

The hunter looked down at his oldest niece. "Ruby, that would be good, but I'm worried about how that would affect Yang in her current condition."

"O-Okay."

They finally crossed the border of the run-down city and ran to the safe house. Once inside, Qrow placed Yang down on a couch. He then pointed to her and grabbed one of Ruby's shoulders. "I'm gonna see if I can call us an emergency ship out here. Watch her. If anything happens, come tell me immediately. I'll be right back." The hunter then pulled out his scroll and walked onto the front porch.

Ruby, Blake and Weiss were all sitting on the floor to Yang's side. Ruby took her sister's hand in her own. "Yang, just hang in there. Uncle Qrow is getting us a ship. We'll be back at Beacon before you know it."

The blonde nodded. "Great, because this couch is pretty uncomfortable. I really miss my bed."

The statement made Ruby smile slightly, but it was short lived, as Yang had started coughing up small amounts of blood. "Yang?"

The older sister patted her on the top of her head. "Relax, Ruby. Everything is going to be fine, okay?"

"O-Okay."

An uncomfortable silence filled the room, as no one was quite sure to say. The silence was lifted as Qrow came back through the door. "There is a ship on the way. It should be here in the next thirty minutes."

Yang nodded. "That's good news." She turned over slightly and winced. A sharp pain shot through her abdomen and more blood started to come out of her wound and seeped through her clothes. "Ngh, that ship better hurry."

Qrow rushed over and placed his hands on her stomach to keep pressure on the injury. "Ruby, go to my bag. I have some bandages and alcohol in there."

The young girl ran over to the bag and pulled out the items. She handed them to her uncle and he immediately started dressing the wound. He brought the bottle of alcohol up held it at a slight angle. "Hang in there, firecracker. This is gonna hurt." He started to pour the contents of the bottle into the wound.

As soon as the liquid touched her, Yang screamed. "Oh my god, you weren't kidding. T-That burns like crazy."

"I know, but we need to do it." For a few moments, the only sounds that filled the room were Yang's whimpers as the alcohol began to take effect. The fact that Yang was injured troubled Qrow in several ways. One was the fact that his niece had gotten hurt, but there was another one that bugged him. _"How the hell did that Grimm get through her aura like that? It wasn't an easy fight out there, but it wasn't too difficult. She should have had plenty of aura left over. I need to talk to Ozpin about this."_

After he was satisfied with how he had treated the wound, he wrapped it up in several bandages and stood up. "Okay, now don't move. Those bandages will hold you together for now, but we need to get you to a hospital as soon as possible. Especially since you've lost so much blood."

The blonde shrugged and coughed a little more. "T-That's fine with me. I don't exactly feel like running a marathon right now. Actually, I think I'm gonna rest my eyes for a little bit."

"Well, in that case, we'll leave you to it." Qrow placed a hand on Ruby's shoulder. "Watch over her. I'm going to head outside and wait for the ship."

"Okay."

The hunter stepped onto the porch and sat down on the steps. He stared towards the city, deep in his thoughts, until he felt a presence behind him. "Come and take a seat. We're not going anywhere just yet."

After a few seconds, Blake made her way around the hunter and sat down next to him. "I wasn't trying to sneak up on you or anything, I just-"

Qrow waved his hand dismissively. "It's fine, I just noticed you behind me is all. It takes a lot to get that close without me noticing, though. You're quite the little sneak, Blake."

The faunus was confused. "I, uh, is that a compliment?"

Qrow shrugged and smiled. "Take it how you will."

Blake laced her fingers together and placed them in her lap. "So, is Yang going to be okay?"

The hunter took a deep breath. "Honestly, I don't know. From what I can tell, she has about a ninety percent chance to survive if that ship gets here in time, but you can never be sure about these kinds of things."

Blake became noticeably more nervous. "O-Oh… I see."

"I wouldn't be too worried about it though. I've seen people take worse hits than her and turn out fine. Besides, she's a fighter. I don't think she'll let something like this get the best of her."

"I suppose you're right."

They sat there without talking for the longest time and simply stared out towards the city. "I would have never guessed that there was something like the Mistrae just sitting out there after seeing the area around this place. It's so calm."

Qrow stretched his arms out in front of him and groaned. "Yup, it's pretty crazy in that place."

Blake looked down at her lap. "We're going to have to come back, aren't we?"

The hunter turned to face her. "That's something else I don't know about. I think we might have to until we're positive that each and every one of those things is gone."

The pair's conversation was cut short, as they heard the sound of an airship approaching. However, just as it was about to land, Ruby bolted out of the door. She was hysterical and had tears running down her face. "U-Uncle Qrow! Get in there!"

The hunter jumped up and ran towards his niece. "Ruby, what's wrong?"

"It's Yang… she… s-she…"

"She what?"

"She's not breathing!"

* * *

 **Hey, guys! Hope y'all like the new chapter!**

 **Now, there is something I would like to talk about real quick. There was one review I got that drew my attention and I would like to address it.**

 **They mentioned that the mod I made for Crescent Rose wasn't good for Ruby's character, but I disagree.**

 **They said it is established in the first episode that Ruby is garbage with anything except a scythe. The only thing I could find that mentioned anything close to that was that Ruby was garbage _before_ Qrow trained her. It also mentions that her scythe is also a gun, a.k.a another weapon type. Furthermore, in Volume 3 after the fight between Pyrrha and Penny, Ruby fights with one of Penny's swords. While it was very brief, she seemed more than capable to me.**

 **Another thing, is that this story is not exactly canon. Crescent Rose shattered, and Qrow was there when Ruby reconstructed it, so I imagined that he would have some influence on how she fixed it/what she added to it. Plus, they've been gone for a year. That's plenty of time for Qrow to teach Ruby how to be effective with a sword when they had downtime.**

 **Anyway, that's the way I thought about it. I just wanted to get that off my chest. If you still disagree, well, that's fine. I can't tell you what your opinion should be.**

 **But this also brings me to my next point. I'm not trying to tell you guys what to do, but if you would sign your guest reviews, that would be fantastic. That way, I could message you guys instead of leaving a long, drawn out Author's Note at the end of the chapter like this. Don't feel like you have to do that, though. It would just make things easier on me and y'all wouldn't have to have a wall of text at the end of a chapter.**

 **All of that aside, I hope you guys liked this chapter. I'll see y'all in the next one!**

 **:D**


	26. Aftermath

"What did the doctors say?! Is she going to be alright?!"

Qrow walked towards his niece, sat down in a chair next to her and took a deep breath. "They aren't sure. She's still unconscious. But for now, she'll be okay. It took them a while, but they finally got her breathing under control. Other than that, she's not getting any better, but she's not getting any worse, either."

Ruby hung her head and stared at her feet. "O-Oh… okay."

The team had been sitting in the waiting room of a hospital near Beacon. They had been there for several hours already, and while all of them were exhausted physically and emotionally, they were all too worried about Yang to rest.

The blonde had been immediately placed in the Intensive Care Unit, and Ruby's eyes barely left the door that led inside. _"… Yang, you can pull through this… you have to."_

Qrow placed his hands on his knees and pushed himself up. "Well, I'll be back in a minute."

Ruby was puzzled. "Where are you going?"

"I'm going to go call Tai. He needs to know about this. Plus, I need to talk to him about something else."

"Okay, we'll be here when you get back."

The hunter nodded, then headed outside of the hospital while he pulled out his scroll.

Ruby, Weiss and Blake were now sitting next to each other. Weiss reached over and placed a hand on Ruby's shoulder. The younger girl took it in her own hand and pulled Weiss closer to her. The heiress then wrapped her other arm around Ruby's back and placed a hand on the top of her head. After a few seconds, Ruby started to gently sob into Weiss' torso.

Weiss started to stroke her hands through her girlfriend's hair. "Ruby, don't cry. Everything will be alright."

Ruby managed to choke a few words through her tears. "But… and… I lo… an't lea..."

While she didn't understand a single word she said, Weiss was trying to be as comforting as possible. "I know, I know, but you need to rest, we all do."

The heiress felt Ruby shake her head underneath her as the top of Ruby's hair scratched the bottom of her chin. Then, the younger girl's hold on Weiss tightened. "Weiss… stay here with me… please..."

"Of course, but you still need to get some sleep."

"I can't sleep right now… I'm too upset..."

Weiss grabbed Ruby's chin and pulled her face up so she could look into her eyes. They were red, puffy, and streamed with tears. Weiss leaned in and gave her a quick kiss, then pulled her into her seat and embraced her. "Don't worry about anything right now. No one is going anywhere, Yang is in some of the best hands she can be in right now, and we're out of that awful place. Just relax."

The heiress felt Ruby take a deep breath and let it out slowly. Her grip on Weiss loosened, and her ragged, hitched breathing from when she was crying slowly returned to normal. As she looked down, Ruby's eyes were shut. _"Okay, now that's settled. I didn't think I would ever get her to sleep. I hate seeing her like this."_

The sound of movement behind her caused Weiss to turn around. Her eyes met Blake's. The faunus had stood up and began making her way out of the hospital. "Blake, where are you going?"

Blake grabbed one of her arms nervously. "I need to get out of here and think about some stuff. I'll be back in a bit."

Weiss started to wonder what could be more important than what was happening right now. "Oh, okay then. I'll text you about anything that happens with Yang."

"Thanks." Right before she stepped out of Weiss' line of sight, Blake turned around. "One more thing… If you have time later… could we talk? I need to talk to someone about something that happened..."

"Of course."

"Thanks." With that, Blake spun back around and made her way out of the hospital.

* * *

" _How am I supposed to tell them about that… this is my fault… I just know it..."_ Blake's thoughts were interrupted, as she almost bumped into Qrow. "Oh, sorry, excuse me."

"Oh, Blake. Hey, you got a second?"

"Sure." _"No."_

The hunter pulled out his flask and took a drink. "Great, I want to talk to you about something real quick."

"Okay. I'm listening." _"Oh no… does he know?"_

Qrow placed his flask back in his pocket before addressing her again. "Back at the city, what happened? I never really got details about it. I would like to know how my niece was injured. If you have anything that will help me piece things together, that would be great."

"Well, when you, Ruby, and Weiss were hunting the other Grimm, one showed up at the camp. It ran when it saw us, so Yang and I split up to find it. I never found it, so I headed back to the shelter to try and meet back up with Yang. When I got back, the three of you were there and Yang was… well..."

Qrow held up a hand and stopped her. "It's okay, I got it now. Is that everything? Nothing else happened, did it? I just want to make sure."

Blake's eyes shifted around nervously. "N-No, that's everything." _"Except it isn't..."_

Qrow's gaze narrowed slightly. _"She's hiding something. Well, I guess it can't be helped for now. I've got more things to worry about."_ The hunter started to walk away from Blake. "Well, that doesn't help me much, but thanks anyway."

Just before he could walk back into the hospital, Blake stopped him. "Q-Qrow?"

The hunter turned and looked at her. "Hm?"

"There was.. one more thing..."

" _I knew it."_ Qrow walked back over to her and stared her down. "Okay, what is it?"

Blake's eyes drifted slowly to her feet. "Actually, do you think we could talk somewhere that's… not here?"

"I guess."

The pair made their way to a bench that was a good distance away from the hospital, and sat down. "So, is this good enough?"

The faunus simply nodded.

"Good, now talk. What's this about?"

Blake placed her hands in her lap. "It's… about Yang… about what happened to her… it was my fault..."

Qrow leaned back on the bench. "No, it's not. You were separated, there was nothing you could have done."

"No! That's not it!" Tears formed in the bottom of her eyes, and they widened slightly when she realized how much that she had raised her voice. "S-Sorry… I didn't mean to yell, but that's not what I'm talking about."

Qrow sat forward and studied the faunus' face. "Okay, so what are you talking about, then?"

"We, Yang and me, were sitting in the shelter waiting for the rest of you to get back. We were going to light a fire, but we heard a noise outside. When we saw what it was, we decided to fight it. Somehow, when we were getting ready to attack, it noticed us. I guess we made too much noise. It was a stupid mistake..."

"What happened after that?"

Blake took a deep breath before speaking again. "When it noticed us… I… I… I made eye contact with it. Yang didn't know."

" _So that's what she was hiding."_ Qrow stretched his hands above his head and groaned. "Is that what had you so nervous?"

Blake's eyes shot up to meet the hunter's. "Of course! It was _my_ idea to fight that thing! _I_ agreed to split up with Yang! _I_ didn't even warn her that _I_ looked into its eyes! That thing turned into _me_! Yang got hurt because of _me_! This whole thing is _my_ fault!"

Qrow sighed and placed his hand on one of the young faunus' shoulders. "Look, it may seem that way, but I don't see it like that. You girls are huntresses. You made a decision and didn't back out of it. Sure, bad things happened, but it's not your fault. Don't get me wrong, I would love to blame someone for this, but the only thing I can blame is that Grimm."

The hunter pulled out his flask and took another drink from it. "You all knew that there were risks when you accepted this mission, and it just turned out this way. I don't put you or Yang at fault for anything that happened. All that it boils down to is this; You had a battle plan, you did the very best you could, and this time, it wasn't enough. But don't let that bring you down. Use it as a driving force to better yourself, so that you can make sure something like this doesn't happen again."

Blake stared at the hunter in awe. "Y-You're not mad at me?"

Qow shook his head and smiled. "Nope. Not one bit." But his expression quickly changed. "But… there is one thing..."

"What's that?"

"Well, if you feel comfortable telling Ruby or Weiss what you just told me, go ahead, but don't tell anyone else. You see, I made a call to Tai and explained everything. Now, he is on his way up here from Patch. He's understandably upset, and when he gets like this he's not the most… 'rational' person. I mean, Yang does get her attitude from him, after all. So until things have settled down, let's keep this little tidbit of info between the team, yeah?"

Blake slowly nodded in confirmation. "O-Okay."

Qrow brought his hand down and gently slapped the bench. "Well, I think I'm gonna head back inside now and see if Yang's condition has changed. You wanna join me?"

"… No, I think I'll stay out here for now. I'll go back in a while."

The hunter smiled. "Alright, take your time." He then turned around and started to make his way back towards the hospital and left Blake alone with her thoughts.

" _Well, that went better than expected."_

* * *

Ruby had been asleep for nearly an hour. As Weiss watched her, her eyes became heavier and heavier, and her head began to drop every now and then. She would always sit up straight and shake her head a few times when it happened, determined to stay awake in case anything happened with Yang. However, she couldn't hold out forever and eventually sleep took her.

But just when she finally managed to get to sleep, the sound of muffled yells and loud crashes jolted her awake. _"What is making all of that racket?"_

The first thing she saw was Qrow walking backwards through the hospital doors, followed quickly by a person who she recognized after a few seconds.

Qrow had his hands held out in front of him. "Tai, you can't just barge in there. She's not even awake right now."

The blonde man shoved him aside. "Get out of my way, Qrow. I'm going to see my daughter."

As he walked towards the doors which led to the ICU, his eyes met Weiss', then fell to Ruby's sleeping form. His face immediately softened and he made his way over to her. "Hi, Weiss."

"Hello, Mr. Xiao Long."

Taiyang sat down in a seat next to Weiss and brushed a few stray hairs out of Ruby's face. "How long has she been out?"

"About an hour. She was exhausted. We all are."

"Has there been any news on Yang? I only got the gist of it from Qrow."

The heiress shook her head. "Nothing yet, she's still unconscious. All we know is that her condition isn't worsening."

Taiyang sighed. "Well, that's better than anything else I thought might have happened."

The blonde man's eyes drifted back to the entrance of the ICU. "Can you tell me what happened?"

Weiss looked down at Ruby. Even though she was asleep, her face still expressed worry, undoubtedly directed at her sister. "We broke up into groups in order to track two Grimm. Qrow went after one, while me and Ruby went after the other. Qrow told Blake and Yang to go back to our camp and wait for us. It turned out that one of the Grimm had made its way back to the camp. The two of them tried to attack it, but apparently it ran."

It was becoming harder for Weiss to talk. The reality of the situation hadn't really sank in for her yet. "T-Then, they split up to find it. While they were apart, Yang was caught off guard by the Mistrae, as it had Blake's appearance. She killed it, but by then.. she had… already..."

"Enough. I don't need to hear anymore. Thank you, Weiss." Taiyang stood up and glanced towards the ICU again. "I think I'm going to go see how she's doing. If Ruby wakes up while I'm gone, will you tell her I'm around and to come find me?"

"I will."

"Thank you." With that, Tai began to make his way towards Yang. Qrow noticed and jumped up to stop him, but was quickly put at ease by Tai himself. "Relax, Qrow. I've calmed down. I just want to see her."

The hunter nodded. "Alright, but I'm coming with you. Pretty sure I'm the only person that could stop you from breaking the hospital if you get mad, anyway."

The statement earned a small chuckle from Taiyang. "Seriously, Qrow? That's a ridiculous thing to say… you couldn't stop me if you wanted to."

Qrow grinned. "Eh, I could try." He raised a hand and patted Taiyang on his shoulder. "Now, let's go check on your daughter." The pair then walked through a set of double doors and disappeared from sight.

As they walked into the ICU, Blake walked through the hospital's entrance. She saw Weiss and walked over to her. She took a seat opposite of the heiress and looked at Ruby. "So, she's still asleep, huh?"

Weiss nodded. "Yes. I hope she stays like this for a while. She needs all the rest that she can get right now." Then, she looked up to stare at Blake. "So, what did you want to talk about earlier?"

The faunus shrugged. "It's not that important now, I'll just tell you later."

"Okay."

The group sat in silence. Blake had gotten a book out and started to read it, while Weiss struggled to stay awake. Before long, Qrow and Taiyang had made their way out of the ICU. The two hunters sat down in chairs a few seats over from Weiss.

The blonde hung his head and rubbed his eyes a few times before he looked up. As he did so, he noticed that Blake was now in the room with them. "Oh, Blake, I didn't see you earlier."

The faunus looked up from her book. "Oh, I was outside earlier. I… needed some air."

Taiyang sighed. "I get that, this whole thing is a mess. I'm glad you girls made it out alright, though. I just wish Yang… well, you know."

"I-I'm sorry about your daughter, Mr. Xiao Long."

Tai raised a hand. "Don't apologize, it's not your fault. And none of that 'mister' nonsense. Call me Tai. Mister makes me feel old."

Blake nodded.

Taiyang looked to his side and noticed Weiss trying to keep herself awake. "Hey, Weiss?"

The heiress shook her head a few times in an attempt to wake herself up enough to have a conversation. "Yes, sir?"

"Look, me and Qrow are going to be here for the rest of the day, probably the night too. Why don't you three go get some rest. I'm sure that you all need it."

"T-That's fine. Ruby is already asleep and I am-"

"About to fall asleep while you're talking to me," Taiyang interjected.

Weiss took a deep breath and smiled. "Thank you."

"No problem."

Weiss slowly pried Ruby's sleeping form off her and stood up. She then picked Ruby up bridal-style and started to walk towards the dorm, but was stopped by Qrow. "Whoa, the fact that you're carrying her like that makes me think we might hear wedding bells in the future."

The heiress blushed a deep red and began to stutter. "I-I… That's n-not what… I mean..."

The hunter chuckled. "Relax, I'm just messing with you. You girls go get some sleep. We'll come tell you if anything happens with Yang."

"Okay." She turned around and pushed her back against the hospital's front doors and pushed them open. "Hey, Blake, could you give me a hand?"

The faunus stood up, walked over to the doors and placed her hands on them, which stopped them from swinging shut and hitting Ruby.

"Thank you."

As Weiss, Blake, and the unconscious Ruby made their way back to the dorm, Weiss turned to Blake. "So, are you sure there's nothing you would like to talk about? You seemed upset earlier."

The faunus shook her head. "I still want to talk about it at some point, but it can wait. I would like Ruby to be awake for it, as well."

Weiss shrugged. "Okay, whatever you say."

After a while of walking, they finally manage to reach their dorm. Blake opened the door for Weiss and Ruby. The two passed through and Blake followed quickly after them. Once inside, Weiss walked over to her bed and gently set Ruby down on it. Aside from a few incoherent grumbles, Ruby didn't stir.

Weiss stood up after making sure Ruby was comfortable and turned to Blake. "I think I'm going to take a quick shower, do you need in the bathroom for anything before I get in there?"

"No, I'm fine."

The heiress walked over to her dresser, pulled a set of clothes and made her way to the bathroom. Just before she shut the door, she turned to Blake once again. "Oh, and if Ruby wakes up for any reason, tell her to wait for me to get out of here before she leaves."

Blake, already engrossed in a book, simply nodded.

"Thanks."

About twenty minutes had passed, and Weiss stepped out of the bathroom. The first things her eyes went to was Ruby. _"Good, she's still asleep."_ She walked to the other side of the room and placed her clothes in a basket. As she turned, she noticed that Ruby now wasn't the only person asleep.

It seemed as if Blake had passed out while she was reading her book. Weiss rolled her eyes. _"Well, I'm glad Ruby didn't wake up, Blake wouldn't have noticed."_ Her gaze was subconsciously drawn to Blake's upper arm, where a small scar now adorned it.

Her mind flashed back to the hectic ship ride back to Beacon from the city.

* * *

 **The Journey Home**

Yang was bleeding out and she wasn't breathing. Ruby grabbed her sister by the shoulders and started to shake her. "Yang! YANG! WAKE UP, PLEASE!"

Qrow had been yelling at the pilot of the ship. He pulled out his sword as a weapon of intimidation. "Hey, pal, I highly suggest you get this thing moving a lot faster."

Weiss noticed Ruby shaking Yang, and stopped her. "Ruby, you can't do that! She might lose even more blood that way!"

Ruby pushed her away, which caused her to fall and scrape her arm against a piece of metal. Blood slowly formed on her arm, which made Ruby concerned for her sister _and_ her girlfriend. "W-Weiss! I'm so sorry! I ju-"

"It's fine, just calm down. You're acting too brash. We need to keep Yang from moving, or her injuries could worsen."

Ruby sat down with tears in her eyes and stared at Yang's body. "R-Right."

Suddenly, Blake moved forward between the two. "Guys, I know this is a bad time, but we need to check something."

"What?"

Blake pulled out a small dagger. "How do we know that none of us are Grimm?"

The question annoyed Ruby. "Are you kidding me?! Yang is hurt, and she might DIE! We have bigger things to worry about right now!"

Ruby felt Qrow's hand on her shoulder. "She's right, Ruby. We need to be sure. The last thing we need is to bring a Grimm back to Beacon with us. Who knows what could happen."

"Fine." Ruby hastily pulled out a knife and sliced her arm with it. She cut deep enough, and quick enough, that blood immediately started to flow out of the wound. "There, are you happy?" She then turned back to Yang and ignored the other three for a few moments.

Blake then slid her dagger across her shoulder. It took a few seconds, but a blood slowly began to trail down her arm. "Weiss, your turn."

The heiress pointed at the cut on her arm. "Is this not good enough?"

"Humor me."

Weiss rolled her eyes and made a small cut just above her knee with Myrtenaster, which bled just like the other's wounds.

Blake looked towards the hunter at the front of the ship. "Qrow?"

"Yeah, yeah." Qrow simply scratched open a wound on his chest that hadn't fully healed yet, causing a good amount of blood to flow down his torso. "There ya go." Qrow glanced one last time at Yang, then went back to the pilot.

Ruby was speechless. Nothing that Blake or Weiss said seemed to register with her. Only when they landed in Beacon's docks did she finally snap out of her trance.

Qrow was quickly by her side. "Ruby, help me get her out of here."

"Okay." Ruby grabbed Yang's feet, while Qrow grabbed her shoulders. Fortunately, Beacon had been notified of her condition when Qrow made the emergency call, and had a medical team with a stretcher prepared.

They laid her down on the stretcher and quickly carried her to the ICU, while the rest of the team rushed after them. They now all had the same thought. _"Yang… survive..."_

* * *

Weiss shook her head several times in an attempt to get the memory out of her mind. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. _"I wonder how Yang's doing right now..."_ She decided not to dwell on it, as she thought that it would only cause her more stress.

She walked over to her bed and slipped underneath the covers behind Ruby. Even though she was still asleep, Ruby instinctively rolled over and cuddled into Weiss. The heiress looked down at her face and could tell that she had been crying in her sleep. She pulled Ruby closer and kissed her gently on the forehead.

"It's okay now, Ruby, we're home." She kissed her one more time, this time on the lips. "Goodnight. I love you."

"I... love you... too."

Weiss was surprised. "Ruby, are you awake?"

Her question was answered with several mumbles and a few short breaths from Ruby. She hadn't even opened her eyes.

Weiss smiled. _"She's still asleep and managed to say that…"_ The heiress snuggled closer to her and closed her eyes. Before long, the dorm was completely silent.

* * *

Ruby sat up quickly. She was panting, sweating and had tears falling down her face. She reached up and held her head with both hands. _"A nightmare...it was all a dream..."_ She got out of Weiss' bed and looked to the bed above her. _"Please be there..."_

As she gazed at the empty bed, her mind pieced together that, while she indeed had a nightmare, the events that happened in it were all too real. _"S-So… it really happened..."_ She lost control and started to cry, but she instantly felt a pair of arms wrap themselves around her waist.

"Ruby, shh, it's okay."

The young girl spun around, and her silver eyes locked with bright blue ones. "W-Weiss… how is Yang?"

The heiress' head dropped. "We still don't know. She's in the hospital. The only people that have seen her is your uncle and your dad."

Ruby's eyes widened. "My dad's here?"

"Yes. He told me to tell you that when you woke up. He wants you to come find him. I imagine he's still at the hospital with Qrow. We all came back here to get some rest."

Ruby pulled Weiss into a hug. "Thanks for telling me. I'm gonna go see him."

She started to walk towards the door, but Weiss stopped her. "Wait." the heiress pulled her into a kiss. "Let me change and I'll come with you."

"You don't have to, I'm just goi-"

Weiss held a finger up and pressed it to Ruby's lips. "Relax, I want to. I feel like I should get to know your dad better anyway."

"O-Okay, but only if you're comfortable with it."

The older girl smiled. "I am. I'll be right back."

"I'll be here, I guess."

Weiss grabbed a set of clothes, rushed into the bathroom and changed quickly. She came back out and took Ruby's hand in hers. "Alright, let's go."

* * *

 **Okay, I know I said no more flashbacks, but I thought that this one fit really well, and I felt like it worked better here. I could have opened the chapter with it, but it seemed to flow better this way, to me, anyway. At least this one was short, haha.**

 **Well, I guess that's it. I hope everyone liked this chapter, and I'll see you in the next one!**

 **:D**


	27. Rise and Shine

Ruby and Weiss stepped through the entrance of the hospital and saw Taiyang and Qrow sitting in a couple of chairs. Qrow had fallen asleep at some point, but the blonde hunter was wide awake. The two partners made their way over to the man.

"Hi, Dad."

Taiyang looked up. "Oh, Ruby, you're awake."

Ruby walked over and wrapped her hands around her father's neck and hugged him tightly. "Yeah, Weiss told me you wanted to see me, so I headed over here right after I woke up."

"Well, I'm happy that you came to see me, but it's the middle of the night. Why are you even awake?"

Ruby's head dropped slightly. "I, um… I had a nightmare."

"I see… was it about-"

"Yep."

Taiyang wrapped an arm around his daughter's shoulders and cradled her head. "Oh, baby girl…"

A few tears slid down Ruby's cheeks, but she quickly shook them away. "It's okay, Dad. Weiss was there to help calm me down."

The hunter looked at the white-haired girl. "Weiss, thank you for being there for my daughter. I'm glad she has someone like you to watch out for her when I'm not there."

Weiss sat down in a chair opposite of Taiyang. "I'm just happy that I was there."

Ruby smiled. "Me too, Weiss!" She then jumped out of her dad's lap and ran to the heiress. She hugged her as tightly as she had Taiyang, then kissed her lightly. "I love you."

Weiss blushed, due to committing that sort of act in front of Ruby's father. "I-I love you, too."

Taiyang grinned. "Whoa, breaking out the 'I-Love-Yous' already, huh?"

Ruby started to stammer. "U-Uh, y-yeah… we've kinda been-"

The man chuckled. "Relax, I'm just giving you a hard time."

Ruby released Weiss from her embrace and sat next to her. "So, how is Yang? Has anything happened?"

A sigh slowly pushed its way past Taiyang's lips. "Not yet. They thought that they might have to put her on a medical drip, but she's started to heal on her own. I guess her aura finally kicked in."

"Well, that's some good news." Ruby pulled up her feet in her chair and wrapped her arms around her legs. "Why was her aura gone, anyway? It wasn't exactly a long fight."

Her dad shook his head. "I'm not sure. Qrow has his own ideas, but we are going to talk to Ozpin about it before we jump to conclusions. If there's anyone out there that would know something about that kind of thing, it would be him."

Silence filled the room and began to eat at Weiss. She loathed silence. No, that's not right. To her, silence was amazing, it let her clear her head and think, but this was an awkward silence. _That_ was what she hated. Just as she was about to say something, Ruby beat her to the punch. "Do… Do you think I could see her?"

After thinking about it for a few moments, the hunter decided it couldn't hurt. "Sure, I'll go with you." He stood up and offered Ruby his hand, which she took and got out of her seat. "Weiss, would you like to come with us?"

The heiress shook her head. "No, I'll stay out here. Even if you said otherwise, I would feel like I was intruding on a family moment. I'll wait for you two to get back out here."

"Okay then."

Weiss' eyes followed the two of them until they disappeared behind the large, swinging doors that led into the ICU.

They stopped right outside of the door that led to Yang's room and Tai put a hand on Ruby's shoulder. "Now, listen. Yang is not in the best shape right now, but keep this in mind; she looks a lot worse than she really is. The damage was more… extensive than we thought. Just remember that she is okay, she just looks like she's gone through hell." A small smile appeared on the man's face. "And, if she wakes up while we're in there… run."

Ruby raised an eyebrow curiously. "Why?"

Taiyang's smile turned into a grin and he laughed lightly. "You'll see."

As they opened the door, Ruby placed her hand over her mouth once she saw the state her sister was in. Yang looked awful. Her entire torso was covered in thick bandages, and she had a tube running from a machine straight into her nose.

Ruby gingerly stepped forward. As she got closer, she saw what her father was talking about. _"Oh man… these doctors are soooo dead when she wakes up."_

At the top of Yang's head, where her once long, flowing, gold locks adorned her scalp, was now a short, choppy haircut. It was no more than a few inches long. "They cut her hair..."

"Yup. There was too much of it. It was too big of a hassle when they were operating on her. It kept getting in the way while they were trying to save her, so they had no choice. It was either cut the hair, or deal with all of the problems that it caused and lose her in the process."

"That sounds like an easy fix, though. Why didn't they just put it in a ponytail or something like that?"

Taiyang shrugged. "I'm not sure. But, if you think about it, it kinda makes sense. I mean, she was in really bad shape when she got here. They probably weren't really willing to take the time to fix her hair up. I imagine they were really pressed for time. After all, she wasn't breathing. They needed to act fast. Besides, for all we know, there could be another reason. We'll have to talk to the doctors about it some more."

"I guess you're right." Ruby giggled. "She's gonna flip out."

"Oh yeah, big time."

Ruby walked over and placed a hand on her sister's. "Yang, if you can hear me… pull through this. I know you can. You're one of the strongest people I know." She reached out a hand and ran it through Yang's now short hair. _"And try not to kill the doctors when you wake up."_

Ruby took one last look at her sister and turned to her dad, with a few tears in her eyes. "Okay, let's go. I just wanted to see her."

Her father took a few steps back and opened the door for her. The both walked through and he shut the door behind them. As the walked back to the waiting room, Taiyang looked down at his daughter. "So how do you feel now?"

"I feel better now that I know she's okay. I think I'm more scared for the doctors than Yang at this point."

The blonde man let out a laugh. "Yeah, you and me both. Still, I'm glad she's getting better, but I wish she didn't have to go through this in the first place."

"I swear, Dad, if there is any of those things left out there, I'll make them pay."

Tai stopped his daughter and stepped in front of her, then crouched down. "Oh no you won't. I almost lost one daughter to those things already. I'm not about to let that happen to another one."

"But, Dad, someone has to go back out there!"

Taiyang hung his head and let out a long breath. "I know that, okay? I know. But I'm not going to let any of you girls go back to that place. From here on out, me and Qrow will handle this ourselves. We are going to talk to Ozpin tomorrow and get another team set up. One that isn't comprised of students."

"You mean..."

"Yes. I'm going out there this time. So is Qrow. Earlier, Qrow had a… _conversation_ with Ironwood, and it looks like he might be coming too. Don't worry about us. Don't get me wrong, you girls are strong, maybe even stronger than us when we were your age. But you don't have the experience that we have. It's better this way. Do you understand?"

The young girl hung her head. "Yeah, I get it… But you better come back in one piece!"

"I wouldn't worry about that. Of course I'll come home in one piece, I would rather not be on the receiving end of you and your sister's wrath."

Ruby puffed out her cheeks and crossed her arms. "… You better..."

Taiyang stood up and gestured towards the waiting room. "Now, come on. Your girlfriend is waiting for us."

* * *

Almost a week had passed since Yang was admitted. There had been no change in her condition other than a slow, steady recovery, courtesy of her aura replenishing itself. Team RWBY had been exempt from classes for the time being. They were scheduled to resume once Yang was able to take classes herself.

This, however, didn't stop Weiss from studying and dragging Ruby down with her. The pair was currently sitting in bed with a plethora of textbooks sprawled out in front of them.

"Weeeeiiiisss, I don't wanna study anymore!"

The heiress slammed one of the books shut. "Ruby, just because we're exempt from classes doesn't mean we can't study. We should be prepared for when we have to take tests."

Ruby rolled onto her stomach, crossed her arms under her chin, and rolled her eyes. "Pfft."

Weiss shut another text book. "Ruby Rose, don't you scoff at me!"

Ruby rolled onto her back and kicked her legs in the air. "Come on, Weiss. We've been at this for, like, three hours already!"

The older girl sighed. "It's only been 30 minutes."

"Well, it feels like three hours. That's how awful this is."

Weiss slid off the bed and moved a few books to the side, which left room for Ruby to get off. "Fine, I suppose we can take a small break, a _very_ small break."

Ruby grinned and jumped off the bed. "Awesome! Let's go get some food!" She grabbed Weiss' hand and started to pull her out of the dorm. "Come on!"

The heiress quickly pulled her hand out of her girlfriend's grasp. "Calm down. Let me go to the bathroom first, then we can go."

"Okay, but try to hurry. I'm starving."

Weiss made her way to the bathroom and shut the door. " _How am I going to get that girl to buckle down and study? We haven't had any classes for a couple of weeks. There's so much material we need to catch up on. I wish she would understand that."_

She stared at her reflection in the bathroom mirror and suddenly realized how disheveled her appearance was. _"Wow… I could really use a shower."_

Weiss cracked the bathroom door open and poked her head out. "Hey, Ruby?"

The younger girl spun around to look at Weiss. "Yeah?"

"I think I'm going to take a shower. If you want, you can head to the cafeteria without me."

Weiss watched Ruby's face lose all of its excitement. "Oh… okay… I'll be back in a little while." She turned around and began to slowly trudge her way out of the room.

Seeing the disappointment in her face almost physically pained Weiss. "Ruby, wait."

The younger girl responded without turning around. "Hm?"

"How would you feel about going out to eat tomorrow?"

Ruby's face lit back up quickly. "That sounds great."

Seeing her exuberant expression return made Weiss smile. "Okay. I'll make some reservations for us tonight, then. Don't eat a big lunch tomorrow. I would rather us not get to the restaurant and have you end up not being hungry."

"I won't." Ruby grinned then rushed over and gave Weiss a quick peck on her cheek. "I'll be back soon."

The heiress nodded and Ruby walked out of the room, far happier than she was a few moments ago. Weiss shut the bathroom door and thought to herself _, "Great, now I have to think of somewhere to eat. I just couldn't stand seeing her like that. This is seriously going to cut into the time we have to study."_

Right as Weiss started to undress herself for her shower, she heard a knock on the bathroom door. "Who is it?"

"It's Blake. Sorry, I wasn't sure if someone was in there or not."

"It's fine. Do you need in here for anything?"

"Not really, I was just looking for my book. I can't find it anywhere."

Weiss re-dressed herself and opened the bathroom door. "Did you look on the bed?"

"Yes, it just seems to have disappeared. Do you have any idea where it would be?"

The heiress shrugged. "Not really. It's definitely not in the bathroom, though. Did you check on my bed? I had quite a few textbooks out. I might have grabbed yours by mistake."

The faunus shook her head. "No, I checked over there just to make sure."

"Well, other than that, I have no clue. I may have seen it earlier. What was the name of it?"

Blake's cheeks turned slightly read and her eyes shifted to the floor. "I, um… that's not important, but it has a bright red cover on it."

Weiss thought back to all of the books she had seen that day. "I don't think I've seen one like that. Sorry."

Blake sighed. "Okay, thanks anyway."

"Mhm." Weiss shut the door back and began to disrobe herself again, but this time she was actually able to finish the process. She reached a hand into the shower and turned the knob for the hot water. As it poured out of the shower head, steam started to fill up the bathroom.

Weiss stood still and let the steam soak into her skin. The warmth from the steam alone always made her feel, well, warm. It didn't take a lot of hit to do that, considering how cold she was naturally. Even Ruby had brought up, on more than one occasion, that she sometimes felt cold when her and Weiss would cuddle.

After she decided that she had enough steam, she turned on the cold water and adjusted both knobs until the water was the perfect temperature. She stepped in and let the water flow down her body. She pressed her hands against the stall and positioned her back directly underneath the water. _"Well, that feels nice…"_

Suddenly a chill ran up her spine. She turned down the cold water slightly in an attempt to make herself warmer. After a few minutes, she had to repeat the action. " _Ugh, this always happens. I swear, the hot water supply must be no bigger than a small bucket."_

She craned her neck and let the water fall onto it. She didn't realize how sore it was until the warm water hit it. She ran her hands over the area and applied a small amount of pressure. _"Man, my neck is killing me. I must have slept on it wrong, or something."_ She applied more pressure to it. _"This would be nice if Ruby was here to do this for me..."_ Her face reddened immediately at the thought. _"… B-But not in the shower, of course… Although..."_

Weiss rapidly shook her head. _"No, don't think like that Weiss. It's ridiculous. Think of something else."_ Her mind wandered to the plans that she had made with Ruby a few minutes prior. _"Okay, so where can I take us that she would enjoy?"_

She went through several restaurants in her head, until another chill down her spine made her reach out to turn the cold water down. But as she did so, she discovered that the cold water had been turned enough that it was now off entirely. _"Wow, I must have been in here longer than I thought. I guess I should get out soon."_

Weiss finished washing up and stepped out of the shower. She dressed herself and opened the bathroom door. _"I suppose I should go find Ruby and talk to her about tomorrow night."_

However, as she walked out of the bathroom, the dorm's door opened and Ruby stepped inside. She saw Weiss and quickly put her hands behind her back. "Oh, Weiss, you're out of the shower already… I was going to surprise you."

The heiress raised an eyebrow suspiciously. "Surprise me… how?"

The younger girl slowly brought her hands out in front of her. She was holding a small plate with a cloth over it. "With this." She pulled the piece of fabric away, which revealed one cookie on the plate. "I… I saved you the last cookie from the cafeteria."

Weiss smiled and walked over to her. "Thank you, but in light of recent events, I think I should stay away from sweets. Last time I made myself sick, remember?"

Ruby nodded. "Yeah, but I just thought… since it's the last one… that it would be special, or something like that."

The heiress picked up the cookie and looked at it. "Okay, hows this?" She took both sides of the cookie and broke it in half. "This way, we can share."

The younger of the two eagerly snatched one of the halves from Weiss' hand. "Thank you."

Weiss ate hers in a few bites, then locked eyes with Ruby. "So, if that was the last one, what happened to the rest?"

Ruby looked at her with bulging cheeks, as she had crammed the entire half into her mouth all at once. She quickly chewed and swallowed in order to respond to the question. "I… Well… I _might_ have eaten the others too..."

"Ruby!"

"What, I'm sorry! They're just… so good!"

Weiss raised a hand and pinched the bridge of her nose. "One of these days, you're going to make yourself sick. It's a miracle that it hasn't happened already. Don't even get me started on how many cavities you should have..."

Ruby crossed her arms behind her back and kicked the floor. "Sorry, Weiss..."

The heiress let out a sigh. "Don't worry about it. Anyway, did you enjoy your break?" A smirk crept onto her face.

Ruby's eyes widened and her mouth fell open slightly. "D-Don't say it."

"It's time to study."

"Nooo!"

* * *

"Weiss, can we stop now? We've been at this for a long time."

The heiress rolled her eyes and looked at her scroll. "Ruby, it's only been..." Her eyes went wide as she realized what time it was. "...four hours."

Ruby groggily rubbed one eye. "So, can we stop? I'm pretty tired."

"Of course. I didn't realize how long it had been. I almost wish that you had said something sooner." Weiss began to gather up the textbooks that were littered all over the bed.

"Sorry, I just know you wanted to study, so I didn't want to stop you."

Weiss stopped and looked up at her girlfriend. "You stayed up like this just because I wanted to?"

Ruby nodded. "Well, yeah. I know it's important to you, so it's important to me too."

The heiress smiled, then leaned over and kissed Ruby. The younger girl was surprised at first, but gave into the kiss quickly. Weiss snaked her arms around her girlfriend's waist and pulled her closer. As the level of intimacy grew, the sound of someone clearing their throat caused them to stop.

They looked across the room and noticed Blake sitting in her bed. "Can you two tone it down for now? I would rather not leave when it's this late. I'll be going to bed soon."

Blushes quickly appeared on the girl's faces. "Yes, of course. Sorry, Blake."

Weiss turned to Ruby. "Well, Ruby, if we're going to bed, I'll let you go change first."

"Okay, I'll be right back." Ruby grabbed a set of pajamas, then went to the bathroom and changed quickly. However, she was too tired to think straight, and somehow ripped her pajama bottoms. She opened the door and poked her head out. "So… uh… I have a bit of a problem."

"What's that?"

"My pants… ripped."

"… What do you mean?"

"I mean, they _ripped._ Like, I can't wear them now."

Weiss got off the bed and went to her dresser. "Hang on, I might have a spare nightgown you can borrow."

"Oh… do you have anything else?"

"Why does that matter?"

Ruby's shuffled nervously behind the door. "I don't really like nightgowns. I just feel like I'm wearing a big sheet."

"Well, do you have any spare pajamas lying around?"

"I do, but..." The younger girl's eyes shifted to the floor.

The heiress sighed. "They're all dirty aren't they?"

"Y-Yeah."

"Then you can't afford to be picky. It looks like you don't really have a choice."

Ruby hung her head. "Ugh… I guess you're right. I'll take a nightgown, then. Thank you."

Weiss pulled one out of her dresser and walked over to the bathroom. Ruby stretched out an arm from behind the door and took it from her. "I'll be out in a second."

Ruby slipped the nightgown over her head and a smile instantly spread across her face. _"This smells like Weiss."_

Ruby grabbed her ripped pajamas and stepped out of the bathroom. Weiss looked at her and her mouth dropped open. _"Wow… that looks really good on her."_

"Okay, you can go change now."

Weiss looked towards Blake. "Blake, do you want to go in before me? I actually want to look at the damage to Ruby's clothes."

"Sure." The faunus stood up, grabbed a pair of clothes and stepped into the bathroom.

The heiress then turned to her girlfriend and stretched out her hand. "Hand them here. Let me see how bad it is."

As Ruby placed the set of clothes in her hand, Weiss quickly saw the tear. Down Ruby's pajama bottoms, there was a long rip from the top of one leg to the bottom. "How did this even happen?"

"Well, I was really sleepy, and I went to put my foot in and pull up my pants, but I accidentally just stepped on them. So, when I tried to pull them up, they just ripped all the way down."

"It's a big tear, but it's right along the hem of the pants. I should be able to fix this."

"Wow, really?"

Weiss nodded. "Yes, but not tonight, I'm far too tired for that. I would probably end up stabbing myself in the finger with a sewing needle."

"Okay, but you don't have to do it at all, if you don't want to."

The heiress waved her hand dismissively. "It's fine. I don't mind doing it."

"Thank you."

Suddenly, the pair heard the bathroom door open as Blake stepped out.

"Okay, Weiss. The bathroom is all yours."

"Alright." She grabbed her change of clothes and headed inside. She changed and headed back out into the dorm. "So, Ruby, Are you ready fo-" As she looked towards where Ruby was standing, she discovered that the young girl had already gotten into bed and fallen asleep. _"Wow, she must have been really tired. If she was this sleepy she should have mentioned it way sooner."_

Weiss gently pushed Ruby to the side of the bed and slipped in behind her. She buried her face in Ruby's hair and fell asleep before she had a chance think about anything else.

* * *

Qrow's eyes were wide open. "Are you sure?"

Taiyang nodded. "Yeah, that's what I just heard. One of the doctors just told me I should head down there, So I'm pretty sure it's true. The really have no reason to lie."

Qrow scratched the back of his head. "Yeah, I just wanted to make sure."

"So are you coming with me?"

The dark-haired hunter shook his head. "No, I'm gonna go get the girls. They need to know."

"Alright. Hurry up and get back here."

"Right."

Qrow sprinted across the campus from the hospital to the dorms. He didn't stop until he was in front of the door that had a piece of paper on it that had 'TEAM RWBY' scribbled on it in crayon. He knocked several times, but didn't get an answer. He knocked slightly harder, and heard the sounds of someone shuffling around. "Hold on a second!"

The door slowly opened and revealed Weiss, who was standing there in her nightgown. "Q-Qrow? What is it?"

"Get the other two girls up and come down to the hospital."

The heiress raised a hand and rubbed one eye. "What? Why?"

"Yang's awake."

* * *

 **Hey, people. So, uh, I have some... news. There won't be a chapter next week. I'm going out of town for a while and I won't be able to write. I know this isn't really an ideal spot in the story to take a break, but I can't help it. It's out of my hands. Sorry.**

 **I'll be back the week after, though, with a brand spankin' new chapter! I hope you guys stick around until then. Also, before I go...**

 **FOUR. HUNDRED. FOLLOWERS.**

 **OH. MY. DAMN.**

 **You guys never cease to amaze me. I can't believe this story is _still_ gaining ground on here. I mean, I know that _I_ like what I write, (Well, most of the time, anyway) but I never thought so many people would feel the same way about this stuff. Something that I started on a whim one day has such a huge following now, and I could never thank you guys enough.**

 **Eventually, I'm gonna have to think of a way to show my appreciation. (But nothing like... _that._ Get your mind out of the gutter :P)**

 **This makes me feel even worse about delaying the next chapter, but I hope you guys understand. I'll be back soon, promise.**

 **Anyway, hope y'all liked the chapter, and I'll see all of you in the next one!**

 **:D**


	28. A Grimm Gift

Ruby, Weiss, Blake and Qrow made their way up to the hospital. They approached it slowly, as they were scared of how Yang would react once she noticed her current lack of hair.

"Uncle Qrow, how mad do you think she is?"

The hunter shrugged. "It can't be that bad up there. I mean, she probably understands why they had to do it. I don't think she'll be too upse-"

Qrow was cut off as they walked closer to the hospital, and one of the windows on the upper floor burst open and several medical instruments flew out of it. The group stopped and just stared at the now broken window.

Ruby's mouth was hanging open and she swallowed dryly. "T-That was Yang's room, right?"

Qrow nodded slowly. "U-Uh… yeah."

They walked into the hospital and were quickly approached by an orderly. "Hi, how can I help you?"

"Well, we're here to see my niece. She has a room on one of the upper floors."

"Oh, I see. Actually, we have a patient up there who is… responding poorly to something right now. If you would be so kind as to wait here, I would gladly tell you when it would be best for you to head up that way."

Qrow scratched the back of his head nervously. "Actually, that's kinda the person we're here to see. We might be able to calm her down."

"Ah. In that case..." The orderly moved aside and gestured towards a couple of doors. "Good luck. You'll need it."

The group nodded and made their way through the doors. As they came closer to Yang's room, they noticed that the room was missing something – a door, which was now on the other side of the hall and slightly embedded into the wall.

Ruby tugged an Qrow's sleeve. "Do you think it's safe to go in there?"

"Nope, but I think we should go anyway."

"O-Okay..."

They cautiously turned the corner and peeked their heads into the room. Yang was sitting in her bed. At first glance, she appeared calm. But upon further inspection, they realized that she was the exact opposite.

The room was in shambles, pieces of the bed had been broken, and several parts of the area were adorned with glowing embers, which were remains of a short-lived fire. Yang's short hair was also sticking up slightly, no doubt because of the use of her semblance.

Her hands were gripping the side of the bed with such strength, that the sides of it began to crack and break.

The group pulled back away from the door and Ruby turned to the others. "I want to go in first. I think it would be better that way."

"Alright, be careful."

The young girl stepped slowly into the room. "… Y-Yang?"

The blonde's head shot up and she stared at her sister with bright red eyes. After she realized who was talking to her, her eyes returned to their normal, lilac color. "Ruby… I didn't see you there."

"Sorry, I didn't mean to sneak up on you, or anything."

Yang smiled. "No, it's fine. I'm happy to see you..." After a few seconds, tears began to form in the blonde's eyes. "I-I'm really glad you're here."

Ruby noticed, ran to her sister, and wrapped her in a warm hug. "I'm just happy that you're finally awake."

Yang held her sister tightly and started to cry into her shoulder. "I'm so sorry."

"For what?"

"I got hurt. I wasn't there for you. I was careless. Now, I've made all of you guys worry about me and miss school."

"How did you know about that?"

"The doctor's told me that you guys aren't going to class."

Ruby stroked the top of her sister's head. "Yang… none of this was your fault. If anyone should feel responsible, it should be the rest of us. We weren't anywhere near you at that place and you got hurt while we were gone. That's not on you, it's on us."

The blonde shook her head, not out of disagreement, but confusion. "I don't know what to think about any of this. My head's a big jumbled mess right now."

"It will be okay. We are all here for you." Ruby ran her hand down the back of Yang's head and slowly slid her hand down until she felt the skin on Yang's neck.

The blonde shivered and pulled Ruby's hand away. "S-Sorry. I'm just not use to people touching me there. It's always been… covered." More tears began to fall down Yang's face, which Ruby brushed away quickly.

Seeing how upset her sister was made Ruby start to cry. "I know, but we can get used to it. I think it looks good like this anyway. I've never seen you with short hair. But you have to be strong for all of us." The young girl smiled. "Besides, you're my big sister. I'll follow your example."

Yang grinned through her tears. "Y'know, you seem pretty grown up to me. I don't even know when that happened, but I don't think you need to follow my lead anymore. Plus, you're team leader. That kinda makes you my boss."

The room filled with silence for a few moments, then both girls started to laugh. "So, are you going to be okay?"

"Yeah, I think so. I'll just need a little while. How is everyone else doing since I've been out? I'm sure everyone missed my bright, punny nature."

A smile quickly grew on Ruby's face. "Well, why don't you ask them yourself? They're right outside."

Yang's eyes widened. "Really?" She peeked around Ruby and faced the doorway. "Hey, y'all get in here!"

The group made their way through the doorway and smiled when they saw Yang. Qrow walked towards the front of everyone else and crossed his arms. He looked at Yang and grinned. "Hey there, firecracker. Welcome back to the world of the living."

* * *

"Ozpin, are you even remotely aware of the damage that girl caused the hospital?"

"Yes, I know the extent of it. Rest assured, I will happily cover the all of the damage that my student caused."

"Thank you, sir. As long as we are able to get it repaired, that's fine."

The headmaster sighed, as he thought of just how much it would cost to repair the hospital. "It will all be taken care of."

"Thank you."

The person Ozpin was talking to left his office and left the headmaster alone. He was only granted the peace of silence for a few moments before his door opened again. He looked up, and noticed a girl with short, blonde hair poking her head around the corner.

"Uh… you wanted to see me, professor?"

Ozpin smiled and gestured to a chair in front of his desk. "Ah, Miss Xiao Long. Please, come take a seat."

Yang walked cautiously over to the chair and sat down. "So, why did you call me up here?"

The headmaster took a drink of his coffee before he answered. "I merely wanted to see how you were feeling. You were in critical condition for a while."

Yang shifted nervously in her seat. "Well, I'm not great, but everyone keeps telling me that I'll get better."

"And what do _you_ think?"

The blonde's eyes narrowed. "I think I want to get back out to that city and make sure all of those damn things are dead." Her gaze shifted downward and a small sigh escaped her lips. "But… I know that will have to wait. I'm not exactly in fighting shape right now."

Ozpin nodded. "It's good that you understand that. But I wouldn't worry too much. You're aura has been doing a remarkable job of helping you through your recovery, or so the doctors tell me."

The blonde smiled. "Yep! I feel loads better than I did a couple of days ago when I woke up. I just need to get back to training whenever I can."

"That's good to hear, However, I don't mean to change the subject, but do you mind if I ask you a few questions about what happened?"

"Um, I guess not. Shoot."

"What do you remember? Specifically around the time you were… injured."

Yang struggled to remember the events that happened at the city. "Well, I remember fighting the Mistrae with everyone, then Uncle Qrow, Ruby, and Weiss chased after a couple of stragglers that ran off. Then, me and Blake went back to this campsite that we had set up."

"Go on."

"When we got there, one of the Grimm showed up and we tried to fight it, but it ran off. So, we split up. I thought Blake came back and it ended up being the Mistrae. That's how I got hurt. I let my guard down and it managed to get the jump on me."

Ozpin took another drink of his coffee. "It doesn't sound like it was a particularly tough battle, especially after hearing the stories from your teammates."

The blonde shrugged. "It wasn't that bad."

"Then tell me this; Do you have any idea why your aura was completely drained?"

Yang's eyes widened. "W-What do you mean completely drained?"

"Well, the Mistrae was able to injure you greatly. That's not possible unless your aura has been depleted entirely."

The young girl scratched the back of her head. "You know, I never even thought of that. I should have had plenty left. I didn't even feel that much fatigue. So, your guess is as good as mine."

Ozpin closed his eyes briefly. "I see. In any case, I'm glad that you were able to recover."

"Thank you, professor."

"Now, on to something different."

Yang stared at the man suspiciously. "Which would be..."

The headmaster smiled. "Are you feeling well enough to return to class? You will be exempt from combat class, of course."

"Uh, yeah, I guess so. It would be kinda nice to have class with all of my friends again. I still feel bad about making them miss their classes."

"Very well. We will make you a new schedule that accommodates your injuries. It will be ready tomorrow morning." Ozpin stood up and gestured towards the door. "Thank you, Yang. You are dismissed."

She nodded and stood up. She then walked out of the office and shut the door behind her. She walked through Beacon's halls, deep in thought. _"Man… I can't believe all of this happened."_ She flexed her hand and began to curl her fingers inward, only to wince in pain. _"I can't even make a fist without it hurting. No one warned me about what would happen when your aura had to fill up from zero. This hurts like a bitch."_

She reached her dorm and opened the door. She was immediately met with the curious faces of her teammates. "So, what was that about, sis?"

"Nothing, really. Professor Ozpin just wanted to talk to see how I was holding up. Oh, and I'm gonna start classes in the next few days. I get my schedule tomorrow morning."

Ruby smiled. "Really? That's great!"

Suddenly, Ruby felt a hand on her shoulder. She turned around and her eyes met Weiss'. "Speaking of classes, we should study again tonight."

"Awww, come on. Can't we skip just one night?"

The heiress sighed. "We didn't study last night. That _is_ skipping a day. Besides, we should really buckle down. If Yang is starting classes soon, then so are we, remember?"

"Yeah, I remember… I was just hoping you didn't..."

The statement earned the young girl a flick on her forehead, courtesy of her girlfriend. "Well, you should know better."

Yang stepped up to the couple. "Actually, Weiss, I have a favor to ask."

The white-haired girl stared at her with an upturned eyebrow. "… Which is?"

"Do you think you and Ruby could not study tonight? I know that it's important to you, but it would be cool to just hang out in the dorm room with you guys before we all start classes again. I mean, I know you guys have kinda been doing that for a while already, but to be fair, I was unconscious during all of it."

The heiress took in a big breath and let it out slowly. "I suppose, for tonight, we can skip studying."

"Thanks, Weiss."

"You're welcome."

Yang craned her neck to the side and rubbed it. "Actually, I'll be back in a little while. If I'm not back in thirty minutes, go ahead and study."

"Where are you going?"

"I'm going to head out and talk to Uncle Qrow about something."

"Alright, but hurry back."

Yang nodded, left the dorm and headed towards the only place she could think of that her uncle would be. She walked off campus and headed towards a small building. She stepped inside and was greeted by a large, muscled man, who placed his hand on her shoulder and stopped her in her tracks. "Sorry, but I can't let you in here. You're just a kid."

"Relax, I'm just here to look for my uncle. His name's Qrow."

"Even if that's true, I can't let you come in here. Sorry, blondie." Before any more words were exchanged between the two, The man felt a hand pat him on the back. "Relax, pal. She's telling the truth."

"There you are, Qrow. I figured you would be here."

The hunter chuckled lightly. "Well, I'm not sure what that says about me." He gestured towards the front doors of the building. "Let's head outside for a minute."

The pair made their way out of the building, while Yang turned around and raised a hand towards the man who stopped her. Her fingers folded, until only the middle one remained. The bouncer rolled his eyes and shut the doors quickly once they exited.

When they were outside, Qrow leaned against the building and crossed his arms. "So, what's this about?"

"How long have you been hunting?"

"What kind of question is that?"

"Does it matter?"

Qrow scoffed. "Let's see… if I count my time as a student, around thirty years, give or take. But if anyone asks you, it's twenty. Why do you want to know?"

"In all that time, did you ever have your aura completely drained?"

The hunter nodded. "Yeah, it's happened a few times, during some pretty tough fights. What about it?"

"What did you do about the pain?"

Qrow's eyes narrowed. "Pain? What are you talking about?"

"My entire body hurts. Even though I only got stabbed, it hurts to even make a fist."

Qrow walked over to his niece, as concern slowly spread across his face. "Does it hurt everywhere, with the exact same amount of pain?"

"Y-Yeah… Is that bad?"

"Well, it's not good. I'll talk to Ozpin about it tomorrow. You get up to your dorm and rest."

Yang brought up her hands, looked at them, and tried to make a fist again, only to get the same results that she did previously. "Right…"

Qrow placed his hand on her head and ruffled her hair. "Don't worry about it too much. Just focus on getting rest. Come by Ozpin's office tomorrow. We'll talk about it more then."

"Okay. Thanks, Uncle Qrow."

The hunter grinned. "Anytime, firecracker."

* * *

Yang walked back into the dorm, her mind filled with thoughts about what Qrow had told her. _"Surely this can't be too bad, right? Uncle Qrow would have told me if it was serious. I guess I'll just have to wait until he talks to Ozpin about it."_

As she pushed the door to the room open, she noticed that Blake was sleeping and Ruby and Weiss were quietly studying on their bed. Upon hearing the door open, Ruby's head shot up. "Oh, you're back. I was starting to get worried. What did you and Uncle Qrow talk about?"

The blonde waved her hand dismissively. "Oh, nothing. I just wanted his advice about something." _"No need to worry them about this whole thing. It's probably nothing."_

"Oh, well do you still want to hang out? We could watch a movie or something."

She shook her head. "Nah. Actually, I think I'm gonna head to bed. I'm pretty tired all of the sudden. Sorry for making you guys wait for me to just come back and crash."

"Don't worry about it. We were actually going to get ready for bed soon anyway."

"Alright. I'll see you guys tomorrow, then." She then hopped onto her bed and laid down.

Before she could fall asleep, Ruby's head poked up from the bed beneath her. "Aren't you gonna change?"

"I don't think so. I'm exhausted. I'm just gonna sleep like this."

Ruby started to get concerned, but did her best to hide it. "O-Oh, okay then. Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. I'm just tired, is all."

"Alright, but if you ever need to talk about anything, you know that I'm here for you. See you tomorrow, sis." Her head then disappeared, as she returned to her spot on the bed under Yang.

Within minutes, Yang was asleep. After hearing a light snore come from the bed above them, Weiss turned to Ruby. "I guess we should go to bed as well. I would like to be asleep before Yang's snoring gets out of hand."

The younger girl giggled. "Good idea. In that case, I'll go get changed." Ruby gave Weiss a quick peck on the lips, then went into the bathroom, a change of clothes tucked under her arm.

She changed quickly and opened the door. "Okay, Weiss, the bathroom is all yours." As she stepped out, she noticed a look of annoyance on her girlfriend's face. "What's the matter?" Then, the sound hit her. Yang's loud snoring. They had grown accustomed to a lack of the obnoxious, loud noise of the blonde. However, since she had been back, they had been subjected to its torture again.

Weiss stood up and grabbed a pair of clothes to change into. "This wasn't too bad when we were used to it, but it's been a while since we've had to deal with it. "I hope we can actually get some sleep tonight."

"You and me, both."

While Weiss was in the bathroom changing, Ruby stared at her sister. _"Y'know, sis, your snoring is one of the worst noises ever, but I'm really happy you're back."_ She took one last glance at Yang, then got into bed.

A few seconds passed and Weiss stepped out of the bathroom. She walked over to Ruby and slipped underneath the sheets. She closed her eyes and tried to black out the noise coming from the bed above her, to no avail. She let out a frustrated sigh. "I don't think I'm going to get any rest with that damn snoring coming from her."

"Hang on, I've got an idea. Roll over." Weiss did as she was told and was now facing away from Ruby. The younger girl slid up higher onto the bed, until the heiress' head was right in front of her chest. "This might be a little weird, but I think it will do the trick."

She wrapped her arms around Weiss' shoulders, so that her arms were covering her ears. To the older girl's surprise, it actually cut quite a bit of the sound out. However, she couldn't tell if it was actually working, or if it was because she was focusing on the fact that she could feel Ruby's… _assets_ on the back of her neck.

"There, is that better?"

Weiss was grateful that she was facing away from her partner, as her face was a bright shade of crimson. "Y-Yes, that's fine. Thank you."

"You're welcome." She then gently kissed the top of the heiress' head. "Goodnight, Weiss."

"Goodnight, Ruby."

* * *

Weiss was the first to wake up the following morning. The first thing that she noticed was how her face was firmly pressed against something, but it didn't hurt. She almost found it comforting. She opened her eyes to see what was in front of her. She turned redder than Ruby's cape when she realized what it was.

At some point during the night, while she was sleeping, Weiss had turned around in her girlfriend's embrace and now had her face buried in Ruby's chest.

" _W-What do I do? Do I move? Do I sit still? What if she wakes up, or even worse, what if Yang wakes up? I don't think she would be very fond of seeing her sister and I in this position."_ She tried to pry Ruby's arm off her, but the sleeping leader's grip only tightened. _"Well, this is great. I can't even move."_

After a few moments passed, Weiss heard the dorm room door start to open. She quickly shut her eyes and pretended to be asleep. _"I guess this is my only option."_ The heiress smiled internally. _"Besides… this isn't all that bad."_

As the door opened further, Blake stepped inside. She quietly walked across the room and laid down on her bed. She pulled a book off her nightstand, opened it and started reading to pass the time, until the others woke up.

Weiss felt incredibly relieved. _"Well, at least it's only Blake."_ Then, Ruby began to stir. _"Oh no, she's waking up."_ The heiress loosened her muscles as much as possible, to give Ruby the idea that she was sleeping.

Ruby opened her eyes and let out a huge yawn. _"Oh, morning already, huh?"_ She tried to sit up, only to realize the her arm was trapped under something. She looked down and blushed instantly. _"Oh… that's, um… that's a thing that's happening. Maybe I can just move a little bit."_ Ruby placed her free hand on Weiss' shoulder and gently pulled her arm out from under her. _"Whew, I'm free."_

As Ruby sat up, Weiss opened her eyes. She looked up at her girlfriend and smiled through half-lidded eyes. "Good morning."

"G-Good morning, Weiss."

The heiress raised one eyebrow. "Ruby, are you okay?"

"Yup! Just fine! Never better!"

Weiss yawned and stretched her arms out in front of her. "Well, now that I'm awake, do you want to get some break-"

"That sounds awesome, but I really gotta go to the bathroom. I'll be back in a minute." Ruby then bolted out of the bed and into the bathroom, as a trail of rose petals followed her. _"Oh my god, that was a close one."_

Meanwhile, in the dorm, Weiss was laughing hysterically in her head. _"At least I wasn't the only one that was embarrassed by that. I haven't seen her move that quick in a while."_ She was shaken out of her thoughts by Blake's voice.

"How long have you been awake?"

Weiss looked at the faunus. "Oh, not that long. Ruby woke me up when she moved."

Blake's expression screamed 'liar'. "Is that right?"

Weiss nodded her head one time. "Of course it is."

The faunus shrugged. "Funny, I could have sworn I saw you smiling when I came into the room. Don't you think that I didn't see the position you two were in."

The heiress' jaw dropped. "I-I don't know what you're talking about."

"Whatever you say, Weiss."

The pair's conversation ended when the bathroom door opened. Ruby stepped out and locked eyes with Weiss, but her gaze immediately fell to the ground. "U-Um… I'm gonna go get some food. Do you want anything?"

"Oh, you're going to get breakfast? I'll come with you." The white-haired girl started to get out of bed, but Ruby stopped her.

"You don't have to. Just stay here. I'll be back in a few minutes."

"That's ridiculous. I don't need you to bring me anything. I'm capable of getting my own food."

"Alright, if you want to."

Weiss stood up, grabbed a set of clothes and headed into the bathroom. "I'll be out in just a second."

"Okay."

The dorm filled with an uncomfortable silence, until Blake spoke. "Ruby, are you alright? You seem nervous."

"I'm fine. Just a little… surprised."

"About what?"

Ruby shook her head. "Nothing serious. Don't worry about it."

The faunus nodded and returned to her book, which left Ruby to her thoughts. _"Man, I can't believe that me and Weiss ended up like that while we were asleep. I'm glad that she was asleep, though. It would have been really embarrassing if she was awake."_ She walked over to the door and waited for Weiss to get out of the bathroom.

After a few minutes, Weiss stepped out. "Are you ready to go?"

"Yup, I was just waiting on you."

Weiss took Ruby's arm in her own. "Well, then let's go."

* * *

The door to Ozpin's office opened slowly as Yang walked through it. Ozpin and Qrow were sitting at his desk, and the latter was the first to notice the blonde. "Oh, there you are. I was beginning to think you wouldn't show up."

Yang walked anxiously to the desk. "Yeah, I was just a little nervous. I feel like y'all are going to give me some bad news."

"Relax, it's not bad news. I mean, it's not _good_ news, but it's not bad."

"That doesn't make me feel any better, really."

Qrow chuckled. "Sorry. Sit down, you'll be here for a minute."

The blonde took a seat and waited for either of the two people in front if her to talk. Ozpin took a sip of coffee, then faced her. "Yang, how are you feeling?"

The young girl shrugged. "Fine, I guess, considering everything."

"Is that so? Qrow told me that you have been experiencing pain lately."

"Yeah, but it's managable. I figured it would just go away after a while, though."

Qrow leaned onto the desk and crossed his arms. "Remember what we talked about?"

"You mean about my aura?"

The hunter nodded. "Yeah."

"I remember a little bit. It looked like you knew more than you were letting on, but knowing you, it wouldn't surprise me if you did."

"Well, I had some ideas about what might be going on with you, but I wanted to talk to Oz first, before I talked to you about it."

Ozpin leaned forward, laced his fingers together and placed them under his chin. "Yang, I don't want to alarm you, but we believe that there is a problem with your aura."

The blonde's expression quickly turned into one of fear. "What do you mean?"

"It's a disease. There isn't much known about it. It's called Aura Poisoning. We believe that it is the cause of your problems."

"B-But… how would I even get something like that?"

Ozpin took a deep breath. "While there is very little knowledge about this subject, there is even less known about the Mistrae. For all we know, it's attack against you could be responsible for it."

Yang held her hands out in front of her and simply stared at them. "So, what am I supposed to do about this?"

"Fortunately, there just happens to be someone in the school who has experienced the exact same thing. They are more than willing to talk to you about it."

"Really? Who is it?"

Suddenly, the door to the office opened, and a tall, blonde, middle-aged woman stepped into the room and Ozpin gestured towards her. "Ah, here she is now. She will teach you everything she knows about this condition."

Yang turned around and her eyes widened. "Professor Goodwitch?"

The teacher smiled. "Hello, Yang."

* * *

 **Hey, guys! I'm back! Did y'all miss me? Man, it feels good to be posting again. It's only been two weeks, but it feels like months to me.**

 **Hope you all liked this chapter. Thanks for sticking around while I was gone.**

 **Well, I can't think of anything else to say, so I'll see y'all in the next one!**

 **:D**


	29. Explanation

"Ruby, I won't let you eat cookies for breakfast."

"Come one, Weiss! Just this once?"

The heiress pinched the bridge of her nose, closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "That is exactly what you said last time. Not again."

Ruby crossed her arms and poked out her bottom lip. "Fine. I'll just eat pancakes with lots of syrup."

Weiss rolled her eyes. "That's fine with me. I would rather you not have that much sugar, but I can't really say anything considering it actually _is_ the kind of thing people eat for breakfast."

"Yay!" Ruby ran across the cafeteria to make her food. She quickly filled a plate up with several pancakes and immediately poured nearly half a bottle of syrup over them. She cheerfully hummed as she carried her plate towards a table that Weiss had sat down at.

She sat down and pushed a small plate towards her girlfriend. "Here, I got you some food, since you didn't get anything yet."

The white-haired girl looked at the plate in front of her. It was a small pancake shaped like a heart, topped with a few strawberries. "Ruby, you didn't need to do this."

The younger girl smiled. "I know, but I wanted to."

Weiss picked up a fork and took a small bite of the food in front of her. "Thank you."

Ruby grinned as well as she could with a mouth full of food. "You're welcome!" Ruby quickly chewed her food and swallowed. "So, what do you want to do today? We have classes tomorrow, right? This will be the last day of free time we get for a while."

"Well, as you said, we're starting classes tomorrow. It would be wise for us to study tonight. Especially considering we didn't study yesterday."

Ruby moved her plate aside and laid her head down on the table. "Bleh."

"Don't act like that. We need to be prepared for all of the tests we've missed out on. There is still a good amount of material we need to go over."

Ruby shook her head. "But I don't wanna."

"Stop being so immature. You should be more responsible with your studies. You're very smart, Ruby. I just wish you would apply yourself more."

"You think I'm smart?"

Weiss nodded. "Of course I do. Your combat skills may have been what got you into Beacon, but you have done extremely well with all of the written material. After all, you did skip ahead by two years. The fact that you've done so well with subjects that should be too advanced for you proves that."

The younger girl blushed slightly. "Oh… thanks, Weiss."

"You're welcome." The heiress finished her pancake, then put her plate on top of Ruby's. "Well, I guess we should head back to the dorm now."

"Are we going to study when we get back?"

Weiss smirked. "Probably."

Ruby started to panick. "You know, I'm actually kinda tired for some reason. I might take a nap for a while."

The heiress raised an eyebrow suspiciously. "You haven't even been awake that long. I'm not tired, and I've been awake longer than y-" Weiss stopped herself. _"Oh, crap."_

Ruby's head raised off of the table. "… What?"

"N-Nothing. Don't worry about it."

"Did you say you were awake longer than me? I woke up before you did."

Weiss nodded. "You're right. I remember now. I must have been mistaken." Her face quickly turned red and she turned away from her partner. "Let's just go back to the dorm."

Ruby was beginning to piece things together. _"Was she awake that whole time? That would explain why she woke up so easily today… but that means she… oh."_ Ruby stood up. "W-Weiss?"

The older girl responded without turning around. "Hm?"

"Were… were you awake this morning?"

"N-Not until after you."

Ruby leaned across the table. "Then look at me." Weiss slowly turned until her eyes met Ruby's. Her face was a shade of red that rivaled Ruby's cape. "W-Why are you blushing like that?"

"I-I'm… I don't..."

Ruby's face began to match Weiss'. "You were awake, weren't you."

The heiress nodded. "Y-Yes. I was awake. I woke up before you did."

"S-So… that means that you… were awake when… you know."

"Yes… I was very conscious."

Ruby sat down and stared at her feet. "Why didn't you move?"

"I was going to move, but I was trying to figure out how to do so without waking you up. While I was doing that, I heard the sound of someone coming into the dorm, so I pretended to be asleep. Then, you woke up."

"Oh, so that's why..." There was a hint of disappointment in her voice, which Weiss picked up on.

"You sound upset… I'm sorry. I should have moved."

Ruby waved a hand dismissively. "N-No, it's fine. I just thought… maybe you didn't move because..."

"Because why?"

"Because you didn't want to..."

Weiss wasn't sure how red her face was at this point, but she thought it must be bright enough to be a beacon at this point. "W-W-What do you m-mean?"

"You know what I mean!" Ruby screamed the statement, mostly out of embarrassment. "I'm sorry… I didn't mean to yell. It was an accident. It's just… I don't know how to talk about this stuff."

Weiss stood up and walked towards ruby. She grabbed her face and pulled her into a kiss. "Well, if it makes you feel better… I didn't really want to..."

"Really?"

"… Y-Yes, really. I… I liked it..."

Ruby grinned, but looked away. "So… I guess it's my turn now."

"What are you talking about?"

"Well, I woke up with your face in my chest. It's only fair to return the favor."

Weiss' red face had now lost all of its color. "I don't think that's necessary."

Ruby shook her head. "Nope. I think it is. I refuse to be the only one embarrassed about this thing. You just better hope that you wake up before me tomorrow." Ruby leaned in and gave Weiss a quick peck on the lips. She then winked at the heiress. "Sleep with one eye open tonight, princess." She began to walk back to the dorm. "Hey, I'm going back to the room. I'll see you in a bit."

"O-O-… Okay..." Weiss was dreading sleeping tonight. _"Uh oh."_

* * *

Yang was walking through Beacon's halls with Glynda by her side. The blonde teacher looked down at her student. "So, Miss Xiao Long, is there anything you would like to know?"

"… I'm not sure. I don't even know what to ask about."

"I undertand completely. Your head must be very cluttered right now."

Yang nodded. "You can say that again."

Glynda stepped in front of her and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Yang, while this condition is not life-threatening, it is quite serious. If there is anything you would like to know about, my office is always open to you. Do you understand?"

"Yes, professor."

The teacher smiled. "Good." She then reached into her pocket and brought out a piece of paper. "One more thing. This is your new schedule. Anything that we felt would be too… extreme for you, has been removed. Your injuries will not be a hinderance to you with this schedule."

Yang took the piece of paper from the teacher and stared at it. Her eyes trailed down it until she saw a class that she did not recognize. She pointed to it and stared at the blonde in front of her. "Professor, what class is this? I've never heard of it before."

"Which one are you talking about?"

"Aura Management. I mean, I know we study that kind of thing in a few classes, but it's never been a subject by itself before."

"Ah, that is the class you will have with me." The blonde pushed her glasses up the bridge of her nose. "It's a private lesson covering Aura Poisoning. We simply named it that in order to keep attention away from you. We thought it best to keep your condition slightly under wraps. Feel free to tell your teammates, but think about it before you tell anyone else. We don't want the other students to be scared about something that they know nothing about."

"Oh, okay. I guess that makes sense." Yang studied the piece of paper in her hands. "I'll see you tomorrow, then, right?"

Glynda nodded. "Indeed, you will. Please be punctual, but try not to strain yourself too much. It would be wise to take it easy for the coming weeks."

"Alright, I'll keep that in mind. Thanks, professor."

"You're welcome, Miss Xiao Long." Glynda then turned and headed towards her office. "See you in class."

* * *

Weiss closed her eyes and let out a long, drawn out breath. "No, Ruby, that's not not right either."

"I guess I just don't understand the question, then."

The pair had been studying for a couple of hours, and Ruby had become aggravated. Weiss knew Ruby didn't want to study, but there was a lot of material they needed to cover. She just wished she could make Ruby understand that.

"Okay, let me try to explain it better." Before Weiss could say anything else, the sound of the door to the dorm opening interrupted her.

Yang walked through, walked right by her sister and teammate, then jumped onto her bed without saying a word. Ruby and Weiss exchanged worried glances and walked over to the blonde. Ruby poked her head over the side of yang's bed. "Hey, sis. Is everything okay?"

"Yeah, everthing's fine. I just have a lot to think about."

Ruby hopped up onto the bed and sat at Yang's feet. "Well, you know you can talk to me about anything. What's going on?"

Yang closed her eyes and sighed. "Something happened to me. I don't think it's that bad, but it's annoying."

Ruby started to get worried. "W-What is it?"

Yang sat up and stared at her hands. "Apparantly, I have this thing called Aura Poisoning. We think I got it from the Mistrae."

"That sounds really bad… and whose 'we'?"

"Uncle Qrow, Ozpin, and Goodwitch. Remember the other night, when I said I was talking to Uncle Qrow about something?"

The younger sister nodded. "Yeah, I remember."

"Well, it was about this. They said it's nothing to worry about, but I'm not gonna be in fighting shape for a while."

Ruby reached over and took Yang's hand in her own. "So… you're gonna be okay, then?"

The blonde smiled. "Yeah, I'll be fine. I'm supposed to have a special class with Goodwitch to learn more about this whole thing."

"Do you need anything? I can go get you glass of warm whole milk, just like Dad used to do."

Yang chuckled. "No, I'll manage just fine without that."

Silence filled the room for a few moments, before Ruby spoke again. "So… what's it like? The… what was it called again?"

"Aura poisoning. And it's not great, to put it lightly. Basically, anytime I use my aura, or even when I flex my muscles a certain way, my whole body hurts."

At this point, Weiss decided to chime in. "What about back at the hospital? You had clearly used your semblance, which you can't do without using your aura."

Yang shrugged. "I don't know. If I had to guess, I would say it was a combination of shock and all of the painkillers I was on, so I didn't feel any pain."

"I guess that would explain it. Why haven't you mentioned this to us before now?"

"I wasn't even sure what 'this' was until now. I didn't want to freak you guys out, so I kept it to myself."

Ruby scooted closer to her sister. "Well, don't keep stuff like this from us anymore. We're sisters, friends, _and_ teammates. You don't need to worry about us freaking out about something. If there is something bothering you, you can talk to us about it, no matter what." The young girl turned to face her partner. "Right, Weiss?"

"Yes, of course. She's right, Yang. You can always come to us."

"Thanks, you guys." The blonde then noticed that something, or rather, some _one_ was missing. "Oh, hey, where's Blake at?"

"Actually, she went looking for you. She mentioned that she wanted to talk to you about something."

Yang sat up. "Did she say what it was about?"

"No. All she said was that she was going out to look for you, and that she would be back in a bit."

Yang slid off her bed and stretched her arms above her head. "Okay. I guess I'm going to go out and look for her."

"Are you sure? It sounds like you could use all of the rest you could get."

The blonde waved her hand dismissively. "Nah, I'll be fine, as long as I don't overdo it."

"Alright, I'll take your word for it."

Yang walked towards the dorm's door and opened it. "Well, I guess I'll be back in a little while."

"Okay, be careful."

The blonde nodded once, then walked out of the room and shut the door, which left Weiss and Ruby by themselves. Ruby walked across the room, and laid down on the bed that she shared with Weiss. "So, what now?"

"Now, we can continue studying."

Ruby rolled over and pouted. "Come on, Weiss. We've been at this for hours already."

The heiress walked over to the bed and sat down next to Ruby. "I'm aware of that, but we need to be prepared. For all we know, there could be a test over something we haven't covered yet."

the younger girl sat up. "Well, wouldn't they give us a free pass for something like that? I mean, we haven't had classes in almost a month."

"That also means we've had almost a month to study."

"What about a small break, huh? Just, like, ten minutes."

A thoughtful expression made its way onto the heiress' face and she sighed slowly. "Fine. Ten minutes."

"Awesome! I'm gonna go get something to drink. Do you want anything?"

"Just a bottle of water. I don't feel too well. I think I'll take some medicine while you're gone."

"Okay. I'll be right back." Ruby hopped off the bed and headed out of the dorm and towards a nearby vending machine. However, on her way out, she ran into Blake. "Oh, hey. I thought you were looking for Yang?"

The faunus shrugged. "I couldn't find her. Have you seen her?"

"Well, actually, you just missed her. We told her that you were looking for her, so she went to look for you. So now I guess you should go look for her looking for you." The entire time she was talking, she was making criss-crossing motions with her arms. ".. Y'know, that sounded a lot better in my head."

The faunus smiled. "Did she say where she was going?"

Ruby shook her head. "Nope. If I were you, I would just look for her wherever you think that she would look for you at." Ruby seemed puzzled for a minute, almost as if she had confused herself with her own words. "Man, this sounds complicated."

Blake placed a hand on Ruby's shoulder. "No, it's fine. Thanks, Ruby."

The younger girl smiled. "You're welcome." The pair then walked passed each other, as they headed in two different directions.

Ruby reached the vending machine and put her money in. _"I guess it's pretty late. I probably shouldn't get a soda, even though I want to… I'll just get two bottles of water."_ She grabbed the drinks and walked back to the dorm room.

She opened up the door and stepped inside. "Hey, here's your water, Weiss."

"What did you get for yourself?"

Ruby held up the other bottle of water. "The same thing."

"Wow, I expected you to bring back a soda or an energy drink."

The younger girl shrugged. "Well, I wanted to, but I didn't think it would be a very good idea since it's getting late."

Weiss almost looked proud of her. "That's a very responsible thing to do… are you sick?"

Ruby rolled her eyes. "Oh, ha ha."

"I'm kidding. I'm just surprised."

Ruby sat down next to Weiss, opened the water, and took a drink. "Well, what can I say? I guess you're rubbing off on me." She then took another drink.

The heiress smiled, then leaned over and kissed her girlfriend, which Ruby was not expecting, as her mouth was full of water. Ruby opened her mouth to kiss back, but instead flooded Weiss' mouth with water, which caused the heiress to reel back in surprise. "What was that?!"

"Sorry, I had just taken a drink, but you acted like you _really_ wanted a kiss."

Weiss sighed. "Well, stop me next time."

"I will. Sorry."

"Don't apologize. It's my fault."

Ruby sheepishly hung her head and stared at her feet. "Well… there's nothing in there now..."

Weiss smirked and leaned back over. She took Ruby's face in her hands and looked into her eyes. "… Not yet."

The younger girl raised an eyebrow. "What do you me-" She was cut off as Weiss crashed her lips onto hers. _"Oh, that's what she meant."_ Ruby quickly returned the kiss. She placed a hand on the back of Weiss' head and one around her neck. The slowly slid down until they were resting in the small of the heiress' back.

They broke apart once their need for oxygen made itself very clear. Ruby stared at her girlfriend with half-lidded eyes. "What was that for?"

"I don't know. I guess seeing you being responsible just made you very..."

"Very what?"

"… Sexy."

Ruby's eyes widened. "O-Oh… I… um… thank you."

Weiss started to make circles on Ruby's shoulder with her finger. "You're welcome."

"Weiss, are you okay?"

"Of course I am. What makes you ask?"

Ruby gently pulled weiss' hand away from her. "Well, you seem different. I mean, I like the fact that you're giving me attention, but this isn't you. I don't think I've seen you act this… straightforward."

"That's a pretty big word for you."

"Psh." Ruby crossed her arms and puffed her cheeks out. "Thanks, _Ice Queen."_

The nickname shook Weiss out of her thoughts and she quickly realized what she had said. "Ruby, I'm sorry. I didn't mean that."

"What's up with you?"

The heiress held up a small bottle. "It's this medicine. It helps me with headaches. I felt one coming on, so I took some. One of it's side effects is slight behavioral changes. Basically, whatever emotion I'm feeling at the time is amplified. I guess it just took a few minutes to take effect. I'm sorry about that. I didn't mean any of it." Weiss blushed as she remembered what she had done. _"This is so embarrassing."_

Ruby pulled Weiss close to her and wrapped her in a hug. "If you were feeling that bad, you should have said something. I can take care of you. When you said you didn't feel good, I thought you just meant you were tired, or something like that."

"Well, I will be sure to be more clear next time."

Ruby grinned. "Great." Ruby released Weiss from her embrace and looked at her. "So... you said that the medicine makes your emotions stronger, right?"

The heiress nodded. "Yes, that is correct."

"So… what emotion were you feeling when you kissed me?"

Weiss' face quickly turned red. "W-What do you think..."

The younger girl giggled and tapped Weiss on her nose. "You're so adorable when you're embarassed."

"Q-Quiet, you, or I'll make you study."

A confused expression made its way across Ruby's face. "I thought we were only taking a break, anyway."

Weiss shrugged. "Well, it's pretty late. I suppose we can take the rest of the night off. Besides, I would rather go to bed and sleep through the rest of this medicine, so I don't embarrass myself further."

Ruby leaned over and kissed Weiss on the cheek. "Okay, sounds good."

* * *

Yang waved to a distant Blake to get her attention. "There you are! I was starting to think I wouldn't find you." She was quickly shushed by a nearby person. She looked towards the person, who pointed to a sign, which had a list of rules. The very first one being; Quiet please.

The blonde rolled her eyes. _"I guess I should know better than yelling in a library. Dad would probably give me a lecture if he found out."_ She walked across the room until she was face to face with Blake. "Hey there, kitty kat. I heard you were looking for me."

The faunus' ears twitched when she heard her loathed nickname. "I was. You got a minute?"

"Sure."

"Alright." Blake motioned to a seat across from her. "Take a seat."

Yang raised an eyebrow suspiciously. "O...kay?" yang took a seat and stared up at the faunus. "So, what's this about?"

"First off, I want to apologize for everything that happened to you. I shouldn't have said we should attack the Grimm, and I shouldn't have split away from you. I'm sorry that you got hurt."

"Blake, it's not your fault I got hurt. It's mine. I was the one wh-" Blake held up a hand to stop Yang from talking.

"Secondly, I want to know what's wrong with you."

"What are you talking about?"

Blake took a seat next to Yang. "I'm your teammate and, more importantly, your friend. You can't hide things from me."

Yang was confused. "What makes you think something's wrong with me?"

"I can smell it." Blake looked toward the floor. "People often forget just how sensitive a faunus' sense of smell can be, in time. If I'm around somebody for long enough. I begin to be able to smell their aura."

Yang was shocked. "Whoa, really?"

Blake nodded. "Normally, yours just smells hot, like an open field after a summer rain. Now, it smells… dead, like it's rotting."

"I can explain that."

Blake's head shot towards the blonde. "Then start."

Yang took in a deep breath. "It's called Aura Poisoning."

* * *

"Sorry if that story is lackluster. I've already told it twice basically, so I'm pretty burned out on it."

Silence filled the air for a few seconds. "Is that everything?"

"Yeah, that's it."

"I see. That's… quite the predicament."

"Yeah, but at least Professor Goodwitch is gonna help me out."

Blake stood up. "Thank you for telling me, Yang."

The blonde stood up and smiled. "Honestly, I was going to tell you anyway. I told Ruby and Weiss earlier, you just weren't around. I had no clue you were out looking for me."

"Oh, I suppose I should have just waited for you, then."

"Well, at least I was able to track you down." Yang then let out a long yawn. "Man, I'm pretty tired. I think I'm gonna head back to the dorm and get to bed. You want to come with?"

"Sure. Lead the way."

Yang grinned. "Cool, let's go."

* * *

 **Hey, guys 'n' gals! What's up? Man, I'm pretty tired. I hope y'all like this chapter.**

 **Honestly, I'm too tired to really talk to you guys right now. I just reeeaaalllly wanted to get this chapter out. Sorry.**

 **Well, I guess I'll see y'all next chapter! I promise I'll be more talkative next time. Later, guys.**

 **:D**


	30. Weiss Cream

Ruby slowly opened her eyes, as she felt someone shaking her. "Ruby, wake up. We have classes today. You can't stay in bed all day." Weiss relented and stepped away from her. "I'm going to the bathroom. You had better be awake when I come back."

Ruby laid still until she heard the bathroom door shut. She groggily sat up and rubbed her eyes. _"That's right. Today's the day we start back to class. Ugh, I hate school. Why can't we just kill monsters and have that be all we do?"_

She slid out from under the sheets and placed her feet on the floor. Once they touched it, she shivered at the surprising coolness of it. _"Huh, it's cold today."_ She stood up and looked to the bed above her. She noticed an arm dangling off the side, so she tugged on it. "Yang, class today."

A mumble, followed by a groan, was the only response she got. She placed a hand on the bed and weakly shoved the blonde's shoulder. "Don't be like that. Wake up."

Yang slowly slid towards Ruby, until the top half of her torso was hanging off the bed. "Ugh… it's morning already?"

Ruby nodded. "Yeah, I don't like it either."

Yang rolled over onto her back and sighed. "Is there anyone in the bathroom?"

"Weiss is. She should be out any minute now."

As if on cue, the bathroom door opened and Weiss stepped out. She looked shocked to see Ruby out of bed. "Wow, you're actually up and moving around already. I assumed I would have to wake you up again."

Ruby turned and smirked. "Well, you know what they say about assuming things, right?"

Weiss' gaze narrowed. "Finish that, and you'll regret it."

"Y-Yes ma'am."

Yang pushed out a long, drawn out breath and sat up. "What time is it, anyway?"

Weiss pulled out her scroll and looked at it. "It's eight o'clock."

"Thanks." Yang hopped down off her bed, but winced once her feet hit the floor. _"Damn, that hurt."_

Ruby noticed her sister's expression change into one of pain. "Yang, are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. This whole aura problem is just a pain, that's all." She straightened her back and started to make her way towards the bathroom. "I'll be out in a sec."

"Hurry up, I need in there too."

"Relax, I won't be long."

The bathroom door shut, and the door for the dorm opened, as Blake stepped through it. "Oh, you're all awake."

Weiss crossed her arms. "You're surprised?"

Blake smiled. "Not so much about you, just Ruby. Seeing how Yang's bed is empty, I'm guessing she is awake as well."

Ruby stuck a thumb towards the bathroom. "Yeah, she's in there."

The faunus walked over and sat on her bed. "Well, have you two gotten breakfast yet?"

Weiss shook her head. "No. I just finished waking Ruby up a few minutes ago. I was about to head down to the cafeteria." She then turned to her girlfriend. "You want to come with me?"

Before Ruby could answer, the bathroom door opened and Yang walked out. "Alright, sis. The bathroom's all yours."

"Sweet." Ruby turned to Weiss. "I'll go with you, but let me go to the bathroom real quick."

"Okay, but make it quick. I don't want to be late for class."

"Will do."

As Ruby disappeared behind the bathroom door, Weiss turned to Yang. "So, how are you feeling?"

Yang placed an arm on her shoulder and stretched by rotating it. "Eh, pretty well, considering everything that happened. It'll just take me a while to get back to being one-hundred percent Yang."

"That's a relief. You never know when we'll need you. We are a team, after all."

"Yeah, I know." The blonde looked at the time on her scroll and sighed. _"Eight thirty already. Man, time flies when you're sleepy."_ She walked across the room to the bathroom and knocked on the door. "Hey, I'm heading out. I'll see you later."

Ruby's high-pitched voice came through the closed door. "Okay. See you later, sis!"

Yang and looked at Blake and Weiss. "Well, wish me luck."

"Good luck."

The blonde then walked out of the room and shut the door behind her. As the door shut, the one for the bathroom opened. "Okay, you ready to go grab some food?"

"Yes. I was just waiting on you." As the pair made their way for the door, Weiss looked at Blake. "Hey, Blake, do you want to come with us?"

The faunus shook her head. "No thanks. I already ate."

"Alright. Just thought I'd ask." As the heiress turned around, she noticed that Ruby had her elbow pointed outward, which left a small opening between her arm and her torso.

Ruby looked at Weiss and grinned. "You ready?"

Weiss smiled and interlocked her arm with Ruby's. "Yes, let's go."

* * *

Yang nervously approached the door to Glynda's office. She took a deep breath and knocked. It opened and the young girl was greeted with a smile from her teacher. "Hello, Yang. You're right on time. Please, come in."

The younger blonde stepped through the doorway and sat in one of two chairs Glynda had set up, while the professor took the other one. "So, what do we do now?"

Glynda pushed her glasses up and folded her hands in her lap. "Let's start with something simple. I imagine you have a few questions you would like to ask."

"I guess… when?"

"What do you mean?"

Yang looked to the floor, worried that she was over-stepping her boundaries. "When did you… y'know, get _it._ "

"Ah, you mean Aura Poisoning."

Yang nodded slowly.

"Well, it was a long time ago. I wasn't much older than you, actually. It was during a mission."

The young girl leaned forward. "What happened?"

"We were surrounded by Grimm. It was a giant horde that we had managed to walk right into. My team and I decided to use dust in a… reckless manner. We essentially made a bomb out of dust. It wiped out all of the Grimm, but we suffered casualties."

"So… what happened to everyone?"

Glynda sighed. "Fortunately, I took the brunt of the impact from the blast, so my teammates were mostly unharmed. Everyone was temporarily blind from the sheer light the bomb produced, but it quickly faded. Two of my teammates were unconscious, so my other teammate and I carried them to a ship we had called in. It was only after the adrenaline from the fight faded, that I realized my condition."

Yang leaned back in her chair. "So, you got it from a dust explosion?"

The teacher nodded. "Essentially, yes. Keep in mind, some of the dust we were using back then wasn't nearly as refined as it is today. A few of the dust types we used in that time have since been recalled, and are no longer in circulation, due to them being as dangerous as they were."

"Was everyone else okay?"

"Yes. Aside from a few cuts and bruises, everyone else made a full recovery."

A puzzled expression made its way on to Yang's face. "Everyone else? What about you?"

Glynda pushed her glasses up once again and closed her eyes. "I… managed. However, that is no reason for you to worry. Apparently, Aura Poisoning affects everyone differently, to a certain extent. As I've said before, not much is known about it."

"… Y'know, you make it sound like you haven't got rid of it."

Glynda took a deep breath. "That's because I haven't."

Yang's eyes widened and she stood out of her chair. "What? How? I thought you were going to teach me how to cure it!"

"Please, calm down. There is nothing to worry about. It is curable, in a way."

Yang sat back down in her chair with a huff. "Can you explain that a little more?"

"There is a way to completely cancel the effects of it, but there is no way to completely get it out of your system. It will always be there, it is just unnoticeable."

Yang placed her head in her hands. "So, you're telling me that I'll always have it, no matter what?"

"Well, I can't answer that question. Based off my personal experience with it, no. However, we are constantly making strides in the medical field, and with our understanding of rare diseases. When you factor in the different ways it can affect people, you might just be able to cure it. We'll know for sure, in time."

The younger blonde sighed. "Well, that's just great. So, I'm gonna be stuck with this for who knows how long."

Glynda stood up, walked over to Yang, and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Don't fret. It is very easy to counter, with the proper training."

"What kind of training?"

Glynda smiled. "You know the name of this class. We'll train you in Aura Management, of course."

"Right… Where do we start?"

* * *

"Oh, man. I thought that class would never end!"

"Speak for yourself. I found today's lecture quite interesting, actually."

Ruby and Weiss were walking back to their dorm, as they had just left their final class. Weiss was surprised with how riveting she found Professor Port's lecture this particular day. "I had no idea he had such an expansive knowledge about dust."

Ruby trudged along beside her girlfriend, with her head hung low. "Well, at least one of us liked it."

They quickly arrived at the dorm, and Ruby threw the door open and collapsed on her bed. She rolled over and buried her face in a pillow. "Why do classes suck so much? I just want to stay in bed all day."

Weiss sat down next to her and rubbed her back. "Don't you think you're being a tad bit dramatic?"

The younger girl spun around and placed her hand behind her head. "… Maybe. I don't know. I guess I just thought going back to class would be easier."

Weiss scooted over and patted part of the bed in front of her. "Come here. I bet that I can make you feel better."

Ruby sat in front of Weiss and smirked. "Oh, yeah? How are you gonna do that?"

The heiress rolled her eyes. "Spin around, dolt."

The younger girl almost seemed disappointed. "Why?"

"Just do it."

"Okay..."

Once Ruby had spun around, Weiss placed her hands on Ruby's shoulders and began rubbing them. Once she started kneading Ruby's muscles, the younger girl moaned and leaned further into Weiss, which caused the heiress to smile. "How does that feel?"

"… Amazing." Ruby breathed the word out more than she spoke it. "I had no clue I was so sore."

Weiss shrugged. "If you think about it, we haven't had much rest since we got back from our mission. I know we've had some downtime, but we haven't really relaxed."

"I guess you're right. I never even thought about that."

Weiss stopped massaging Ruby, which made the younger girl whimper slightly. "Why'd you stop?"

"Stay here, I have an idea. I'll be right back." Weiss stood up and walked into the bathroom. Ruby heard several things being moved, and what sounded like water running. After a few minutes, Weiss' head poked out from around the door. "Come here."

Ruby walked into the bathroom and a huge smile instantly appeared on her face. "Weiss… you didn't have to do this..."

She looked at the sight in front of her. The bathtub was filled to the brim with warm water. Just looking at it seemed to relieve Ruby of some of her aches and pains. Along the edge of the tub, several candles had been lit.

"Do you like it?"

Ruby ran over and wrapped Weiss in a hug, then kissed her. "Of course I do, I love it."

"Good. I didn't know if it was good or not. I'm not… close to many people. I don't really know how to be romantic, so I took a chance. It's not too cheesy?"

"Maybe a little bit, but that makes me love it even more."

"Dolt." Weiss flicked Ruby on her nose, but smiled. "I'm glad you like it."

Ruby stared at the tub, then looked to Weiss. "So, what now?"

"Well, you get in there and relax, and I'll go back in the dorm and wait for you to get out."

The younger girl's face quickly turned red and she smirked. She looked at Weiss with a seductive expression, then gestured to the tub. "So… care to join me?"

Weiss almost jumped backwards at the question. "W-Wha-What do you mean?"

Ruby exploded into a fit of laughter. "Relax, Weiss. I was only joking."

The heiress quickly put a serious look on her face and crossed her arms. "So, our relationship is a joke to you then?"

The younger girl quickly started to stammer. "O-Of course not! I just… It was only a joke. I m-mean, if you really want to get in… I don't know. I don't think I'm ready for that, and I didn't think you were ready for that either… I guess I can suck it up, but I really love you and I don't want to ruin everything. If you're upset I'll do anything to make you feel better. I'm sorry, I wasn't being serious. I didn't mean to upset you and I-" Ruby stopped talking, due to the fact that she had kept talking until she ran out of breath.

Before she could talk again, Weiss leaned in and kissed her, then pulled away and laughed, which puzzled Ruby. "What's so funny?"

"Your face… was priceless. Did you really think I was mad about something like that? You're not the only one who can joke around."

Ruby puffed out her cheeks and spun around. "That was a little mean, Weiss."

The heiress wrapped her arms around her girlfriend, but still chuckled lightly under her breath. "I'm sorry, Ruby." She then gave Ruby a quick peck on her cheek. "Do you forgive me?"

The younger girl spun around and locked eyes with Weiss. The heiress put on her best puppy dog eyes, and Ruby melted underneath them. "… I can't stay mad at you."

Weiss smiled. "I'm actually quite surprised you reacted the way you did. After your little stunt last night, I wasn't sure how far you were willing to go."

"Well, that was different. It was revenge."

The heiress placed her hands on her hips. "It wasn't my fault. I was asleep!"

"Well, you're the one that didn't move when you woke up and had your face between my..." Ruby paused for a few moments, then continued. "Anyway, last night, I was only trying to make us even."

"I wasn't even asleep yet!"

Ruby looked down and started to play with her fingers. "Yeah… I didn't know that at the time..."

The heiress sighed. "Well, at least you got your revenge… even if it was embarrassing..."

The younger girl grinned. "Yeah, I did."

"… Dolt." Weiss then walked toward the door of the bathroom. "Well, you better get in there before the water gets cold, so I'll leave you to it."

"Okay. Oh, and Weiss?"

The heiress spun around before she left the room. "Hm?"

"Thanks. I love you."

Weiss smiled. "You're very welcome. I love you, too." She then shut the door, leaving Ruby to her bath. _"Alright, I guess I'll just get some studying in before bed."_

* * *

About thirty minutes passed when the bathroom door finally opened. Weiss turned to look at her girlfriend. "Oh, there you are. I was beginning to think you drowned in there, somehow. Are you ready to study?"

Ruby stepped out of the bathroom, with only a towel covering her up. "Well, actually. I'm not quite done in there yet."

Weiss raised an eyebrow curiously. "What do you mean?"

"It felt so good in there, that I'm refilling the tub with warm water. I'm gonna get back in there in a minute."

The heiress sat up on her bed. "You can't stay in there all day, you know."

"Yeah, I know. There is… one more thing."

"Which is?"

Ruby nodded her head towards the bathroom. "The water's gonna be nice and warm in there. Do you... want to join me this time?"

Weiss' eyes widened, but she quickly hid her shock. "Ruby, we talked about this already. It was amusing the first time, but I-"

Ruby cut her off. "Weiss, I'm not joking."

The older girl's face turned bright red. "R-Ruby, I'm… I don't know if that's a good idea..."

Ruby stared her down seductively, with half-lidded eyes. "C'mon. Blake and Yang are gone. I think it would be really great. It could make us closer, as a couple."

"I don't know about this…"

"Well, maybe this will change your mind." Ruby slowly began to take her towel off. Weiss' eyes followed it until it hit the floor. Her gaze then slowly trailed upwards until...

* * *

"Weiss. Weiss, wake up."

The heiress bolted upright, and almost hit her head on the bed above her. "Wha… What?"

Ruby was standing in front of her. "You fell asleep studying. I thought about letting you stay like that, but it's not very late, so I figured you would want me to wake you up."

Weiss stared blankly into the silver eyes in front of her, as a blush crept onto her face. She blinked several times and shook her head. "Yes, thank you. I'd rather not sleep right now." She stood up, straightened her clothes, and cleared her throat.

"Weiss, are you okay?"

"Hm? Oh, yes, I'm fine. I just had a strange dream. That's all."

Ruby sat down and looked at her innocently. "Oh, do you want to talk about it?"

Weiss shook her head. "No, it's alright. It wasn't bad, just… unexpected."

"Okay, if you say so." Ruby sat on the bed and scooted towards the back of it. "So, what was it about?"

"What?"

"Your dream?"

Weiss waved her hand dismissively. "Nothing worth mentioning. Just you're run-of-the-mill, strange dream."

"You sure? You're acting kinda jumpy."

"Jumpy? Me? That's ridiculous. I'm fine."

Ruby decided to just give up on asking Weiss questions about her dream. "Whatever. So, what do you want to do? It looks like you already studied, and there's still a little bit of daylight left."

Weiss placed her hands on her hips. 'I would like to study a bit more, actually." She watched Ruby's expectant expression change to a defeated one. "… However, it would be nice to do something while the sun is still out."

Ruby started to get excited. "Really? Cool, I know just what to do."

"Which is?"

Ruby grabbed Weiss an outfit out of her dresser, handed it to her, and started to push her towards the bathroom. "Don't worry about that, just go get changed."

"R-Ruby, you don't have to push me!"

"Sorry. I'm just happy that we get to do something! Now, hurry up and change."

"Fine." Weiss shut the bathroom door and quickly changed clothes. She stepped out and crossed her arms. "Okay, what now?"

Ruby grabbed her hand and started to pull her out of the dorm. "Just follow me."

The pair made their way out of the dorm, down several flights of stairs, and eventually ended up outside of beacon's main entrance. "C'mon, Weiss. It's just a little further."

Ruby led her girlfriend off campus, and stopped when they reached a small building. It had one door in the very back and a sliding window on the front. Ruby walked up and tapped on the window. A few seconds passed, and a large man opened it with a smile. "Hi there, miss. How can I help you?"

"Can I have two bowls of the special vanilla, please?"

"Sure thing. Just give me a minute." The man ventured towards the back of the building, and returned a couple of minutes later with two plastic bowls filled with a white, creamy substance, and a spoon stuck in the middle of each bowl. "There you go. Have a nice day."

Ruby took the bowls and grinned. "Thanks, you too." She turned back to Weiss and gestured back towards beacon. "Okay, now let's head up to the balcony."

"Okay. Lead the way."

They reached the balcony and stepped onto it. Ruby held out one of the bowls to Weiss, who took it cautiously. "Ruby, what is this?"

"It's ice cream, duh. That place has free ice cream on Wednesdays. I thought we could eat it up here and watch the sun set."

"That sounds really nice, but I can't eat this. You know I don't handle sugar very well."

The younger girl nodded, then shoved a spoonful of ice cream into her mouth. "Yeah, I know. That's why I got us sugar-free ice cream."

"What?"

"Their special vanilla doesn't have sugar in it, so I figured you could eat it."

Weiss smiled, then walked close to Ruby and kissed her on the cheek. "Thank you."

"You're welcome, but this is nothing compared to what you did for me earlier. I really needed it."

"Well, you seemed pretty stressed out. I was just trying to help you." Weiss scooped a bit of ice cream out of the bowl and took a bite. "Wow, this is really good."

"I'm happy you like it. I know you're not big on sugar, so I didn't know how you would feel about this kind of thing, even though it doesn't have any sugar in it."

"Well, I like it quite a bit." Weiss noticed Ruby stretching her legs slightly, and set her bowl down. "Hey, I've got an idea." Weiss summoned two small glyphs that hovered a couple of feet off the ground. She sat on one and motioned for Ruby to get on the other one. "Don't worry about falling. I can maintain glyphs of this size for quite some time."

Ruby gingerly sat on the glyph, scared of falling through it. Once she sat on it, she was pleasantly surprised. "It's… warm."

The heiress nodded. "Of course. We're already eating something cold. I didn't think you would want to sit on something cold, too."

"You're right. Thanks."

The pair spent the next several minutes in silence, while they ate their ice cream and watched the sunset. After a while, the bowls were empty, but their eyes were fixated on the way the light hit the landscape as the sun dipped below the horizon.

Weiss made a hand motion, and the glyphs slowly pushed themselves together, so her and Ruby were now leaning into each other. Ruby wrapped an arm around Weiss. "This is really nice."

The heiress breathed deep and took in Ruby's scent. "Yes, it is." She snuggled closer to Ruby and stared out towards the sun. _"This is so calming. I guess I was a little stressed myself. I didn't even know I needed to relax."_

They spent the remainder of their time in silence, until the last few rays of sunlight faded away, leaving only stars and the moon in the sky. Ruby suddenly shivered, which almost caused her to fall off the glyph, but Weiss was quick enough to catch her. "Whew, thanks."

The action made Weiss slightly concerned. "Are you cold? We can head back inside."

"Yeah, a little. Besides, it's getting late. It would probably be smart to head back to the dorm. I bet Blake and Yang are wondering where we are, anyway."

"That's a good point. It would be interesting to see how they handled their first day back at class, as well."

Ruby hopped off the glyph and held her hand out towards Weiss. "So, we're heading back?"

The heiress took her hand and gently slid off the glyph. After she did so, it dissipated. "Yes, I suppose we are."

Right before they walked through the door that led inside, Weiss stood in front of Ruby and kissed her. She pulled back and smiled. "Thanks, Ruby."

"For what?"

"For just… everything. I'm very happy I met you. I love you."

Ruby grinned. "I love you too, Weiss."

They then made their way, arm in arm, back to the dorm, while they both had the same thought. _"I'm the luckiest person in the world."_

* * *

 **Well, here's the new chapter.**

 **I'm not gonna lie to you guys, I loved writing this chapter. The last half of it is just one big chunk of WhiteRose fluff.**

 **On another note, I wasn't actually sure if I was going to have this chapter up today. From around nine this morning, until about 4 this afternoon, my internet decided it wasn't going to work. Fortunately, it decided to be nice to me and let me post this.**

 **So, I was just taught a valuable lesson. In my life, if something goes good, such as the internet coming back on in time for me to post, something else must go bad. As I was typing this Author's Note, my computer chair decided to turn into a recliner. (It's not supposed to do that. I fell. And it hurt. A lot.)**

 **So, now I'm sitting in a nearly-backless chair. It's basically a stool at this point. Still, not gonna let that change my mood. I'm good. Just breathe in, then out. In, out. Not gonna rage...**

 **There we go, all better.**

 **Side note: I know the name of this chapter also happens to be a ship, but rest assured, that ship will _not_ be happening in this story. Puns just makes me giggle.**

 **Anyway, I guess that's it from me for now. I'll see you guys in the next chapter!**

 **:D**


	31. Round Three

Yang bent over and coughed. _"These little 'training exercises' are tougher than I thought they would be."_

Glynda made a mark on a clipboard she was holding and looked to Yang. "Very good, Yang. One more time, if you can. Remember, the goal is to attempt to activate your semblance, even if it's only for a second. But don't strain yourself."

Yang nodded, then began to flare her aura. It was one of the many exercises Glynda had prepared for her. After only a few seconds, Yang stopped and hunched over. She clutched her stomach and coughed violently. _"Damn it! I almost had it!"_

"Careful, Yang, don't push yourself too hard. You're not ready."

The blonde brawler was bent down on one knee, with one hand placed on the floor. She was out of breath, but managed to choke out, "I… can do… it." She started to stand up, but a hand on her shoulder stopped her.

"Relax, the last thing you need is to rush through your recovery. If you do something wrong, it could have consequences." The young girl looked up at her blonde teacher.

Yang moved her hand and stood up. She wiped beads of sweat off her forehead with her forearm and stared at the older woman. "Really? What kind of consequences?"

Glynda sighed. "Your aura could suffer further damage, or…"

"Or… what?"

"Your aura could disappear entirely." The teacher pushed her glasses up and continued. "Your aura could even change, and with it, your semblance."

Yang blinked several times, then her mouth dropped open. "… WHAT?!"

* * *

"I can't believe they called us up there _again._ It's starting to get old. I just want to go back to the dorm and wait for Yang to get out of class."

"Relax, I'm sure it's important. They wouldn't call us to the office if it wasn't important."

Ruby and Weiss recently heard their names coming over the school's intercom. They were now walking to Ozpin's office. Well, Weiss was walking. Ruby was trudging along slowly.

"Ruby, come on. The sooner we get there, the sooner we can get back to the dorm."

"Yeah, yeah, I'm coming."

They reached the office and stepped inside. The first thing Ruby noticed were the three people gathered around the headmaster's desk: Ozpin, Qrow and…

"Dad? What are you doing back here?"

Taiyang waved cheerfully to his daughter. "Hey, Ruby."

The pair of students walked over to the desk. Taiyang looked at Weiss and smiled. "Nice to see you again, Weiss."

The heiress nodded. "You, as well."

Ruby wrapped her father in a hug, then pulled back and looked at him questioningly. "So, you gonna answer my question?"

Taiyang scratched the back of his head nervously. "Actually, I need to talk to you, Ruby."

"What is this about?"

The blonde man leaned on the desk behind him and crossed his arms. "Me and Qrow… we're heading out there, back to the city."

Ruby's eyes widened. "What do you mean you're going back? That place is dangerous!"

Taiyang placed his hands on Ruby's shoulders and looked into her eyes. "Ruby, I already told you that we would head back out there eventually."

"Well, yeah, but I didn't think you were serious..."

"Why wouldn't I be?"

Ruby racked her brain to think of an answer to his question. "Because… Ugh, I don't know. I just didn't think you would wantto go out there."

"I don't _want_ to go out there, but someone needs to."

Ruby hung her head. "… What about me?"

Taiyang instantly entered 'Strict Father Mode'. "No. Absolutely not."

The young girl's head snapped up. "But I've already been out there!"

"And you almost got yourself killed!"

"I'm not a little girl anymore, Dad! I can handle myself!" Ruby stuck a finger in Qrow's direction. "If you think I'm going to let you and Uncle Qrow go out there by yourselves, you're wrong."

At this point in the conversation, Ozpin had stood up. "They won't be going alone."

Ruby looked to the headmaster. "What? Who else is going?"

Ozpin opened his mouth to speak, but was cut off by the sound of the office door opening. He gestured towards the person that stepped through. "Well, there is one of the people who will be assisting your father and uncle."

Ruby turned to face whoever had stepped through the door. "General Ironwood?"

"Hello again, Ruby." Ironwood then turned to the adults in the room. "Ozpin, Taiyang… Qrow."

Ozpin took a drink from his coffee and sat back down. "You're late, James."

"Yes, well, I got held up back in Atlas. The robots have been malfunctioning lately and we just recently were able to fix the problem. I was simply overseeing the repairs before I left. Besides, if I'm not mistaken, it seems that the fourth member of the party is late, as well."

The headmaster sighed. "So it would seem. Fortunately, they won't be leaving until tomorrow, so their tardiness isn't an issue."

Ironwood scoffed, which earned chuckles from Qrow and Taiyang. "Y'know, I'm surprised you agreed to help us out with this thing."

"The world is in danger, and I swore an oath to protect it. It is my duty. Besides, even though I am less than fond of your..." Ironwood paused to choose his words carefully. "… _attitude_ , it goes without saying that you are a talented, experienced fighter, Qrow. The decision was easy."

"And what about your little project back in Atlas, huh? Who is going to take care of all those soldiers?"

"Winter. She is more than capable. If not for people like her, the entire Atlesian fleet would fall apart."

Hearing her elder sister be talked about highly made Weiss smile.

Qrow pulled out a flask, then took a drink. "Alright, so what do we do now?"

Ozpin looked at his watch, then at the hunter. "Your ship departs in an hour. I suggest you get ready to leave."

"Right." Qrow started to make his way towards the door. As he passed the students in the room, he smiled at them, then placed a hand on Ruby's head and ruffled her hair. "Catch ya later, kid."

Ironwood followed shortly after him, which left Taiyang, Ozpin, Ruby and Weiss as the only people in the room. Ruby looked at her dad. "So… you're really going out there."

The hunter nodded. "Yeah, we are. Don't worry about us, we've been through a lot. We'll be fine."

The young girl shook her head. "You don't know that. What if-"

Ruby was silenced as a finger was pushed to her lips. "Hey, no 'what-ifs', alright? We'll be okay. That's a promise. I'll be back before you know it."

"You better be. After Mom, I can't… I can't lose you, too. I can't lose anyone." Tears formed in Ruby's eyes, but she quickly shook them away. "So you better come back in one piece! If you don't, I'll never let you hear the end of it. You know that Yang won't, either."

Taiyang smiled, then pulled his daughter into a hug. "Well, then I guess I better be careful out there." The hunter looked into Ruby's silver eyes and smiled. "You look just like your mother." He then leaned forward and gently kissed her forehead. "Goodbye, sweetheart. I'll see you when I get back."

"Bye, Dad."

Before Taiyang could leave, Weiss stopped him. "Excuse me, Mister Xiao Long."

"Weiss , call me Tai."

The heiress found the man intimidating. "S-Sorry."

"Did you need something?"

"I was just wondering why I was called up here along with Ruby. This seems like it was more of a family moment. I almost felt like I was intruding. Especially since Yang wasn't even here."

The hunter smiled. "Ah, that's why you were so quiet. Well, we called you up here because we thought Ruby might need you. We weren't sure how she would react, but she took the news way better than I thought she would. She really has grown up."

The hunter then looked at the ceiling. "And we didn't call Yang up here because Ozpin said that she was in the middle of her aura training. Besides, I'm not sure how she would handle this either, and I'd rather not get on her bad side, haha." Taiyang looked at his daughter, then back to Weiss. "Sorry we made you feel uncomfortable, but we only did it because I trust you with Ruby."

The heiress' eyes widened. "You… trust me with her?"

Taiyang nodded. "Yup. I haven't seen Ruby this happy in a long time. Whoever can make her that happy is more than deserving of trust, in my opinion."

"T-Thank you."

"No, thank _you_ for taking care of my daughter when I can't. I know Yang does her best, but Ruby is… let's just say... it takes a lot to keep up with her."

Ruby crossed her arms. "Hey, I'm right here, y'know."

Tiayang snickered and stepped out of the office. "Well, it's true." Ruby pouted, then lowered her head and smiled. "I love you, Dad."

"Love you too, Ruby." Taiyang gave the pair a half-hearted salute, then shut the room's door.

Ruby and Weiss turned to Ozpin. "Is there anything you need from us, professor?"

The headmaster shook his head. "No, girls. You were merely called up here to hear from Ruby's father. You two are free to leave."

"Thank you, sir." The girls turned and headed out the door. Weiss expected to see Taiyang on the other side, since it hadn't been too long since he left. However, the only people on the other side were several students walking by. "I'm surprised your father isn't out here. We weren't in there much longer than he was."

Ruby stared at the floor. "Yeah, he probably left in a hurry. He never did like goodbyes. They always made him sad." The younger girl looked at Weiss and smiled. "He's just a big baby sometimes."

As the heiress looked at her girlfriend, she noticed tears starting to form in her eyes. Ruby noticed the same time as her and quickly hid her face. "So… what do you want to do now?"

"Ruby, do you want to ta-" Weiss cut herself off. _"Should I even ask her if she wants to talk about her father? It seems like she is avoiding the subject."_ The older girl smiled and gestured down the hall. "How about we go back to the dorm? We can wait for your sister and talk to her about this whole thing when she gets back."

Ruby nodded. "Sounds good. Let's head back."

* * *

"Why didn't he just tell me himself? Or, y'know, waited for a few minutes before he left?"

"Calm down, Yang. You know how dad is."

Yang threw herself onto her bed and sighed. "I guess…" She flipped onto her side and looked at Ruby with a pointed finger. "But he's still gonna get an earful when he gets back! Uncle Qrow, too!"

Ruby snickered. "I bet they will." Ruby hopped up on Yang's bed and sat next to her. "So, how were classes today? I know you can't take any of the combat training classes right now, so I bet it was pretty boring."

" _I shouldn't tell her about that whole 'aura changing' thing. I don't want to freak her out."_ The blonde shrugged. "It wasn't too bad. Oobleck's class was great, actually. He didn't show up, so everyone that was there basically got a free period."

"Really? Where was he at?"

"I have no idea. Nobody did. Professor Port came into the classroom and said that Oobleck would be out for a while."

Ruby began to get slightly concerned. "Oh, did something happen to him?"

Yang waved her hand in front of her face. "Nah, nothing like that. He just said he would be gone for a few days, so there wouldn't be any classes until he got back."

"So, did you just sit in the classroom the whole time?"

"Pretty much, yeah. There wasn't much to do around the school, since everyone else was in class. It was kinda slow, but I would take it over one of Oobleck's lectures about Remnant's history any day."

At this point, Weiss had made her way to the side of Yang's bed. "I'll have you know that the material he covers is great. Without learning from our history, we would be wasting our potential as a species."

The blonde rolled her eyes. "Yeah, whatever." She looked across the room to an empty bed. "So, do you guys know where Blake is?"

Ruby shook her head. "Nope. If I had to guess, I would say the library. That's where she usually is, when she's not here, anyway."

"Right. Well, I think I'm gonna go find her. I'l be back in a few."

"Okay."

Yang turned the handle of the dorm's door but turned around before she opened it. "Oh, and one more thing."

"What?"

The blonde turned around and grinned. "Try to be decent when I get back."

"Yang!" Ruby picked up a pillow and threw it at her sister, who quickly jumped out of the room and jumped the door. The pillow hit the closed door and landed on the ground with a soft 'thump'.

Weiss sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. "That girl..."

Ruby hopped off Yang's bed and walked over to Weiss. "I know, I know, but that's just how she is. At least she isn't as bad about this sort of thing as she used to be."

The heiress rolled her eyes. "Silver lining, I guess."

"There's the spirit. So, now what do you wanna do?"

Weiss walked over to a bag on her bed and began to rummage through it. "Actually, I have something I think you might like."

"Oh, really? What is it?"

The older girl pulled out a slim, black case and held it up. "This."

Ruby snatched the case out of her hands and opened it. "… Whoa..."

"I saw that in a store the last time I went shopping. I thought of you when I saw it, especially since I know how much you like it, so I figured that I would pick it up for you. Do you like it?"

Ruby nodded vigorously. "I love it!" Ruby looked down at the case one more time. "Can we watch it?"

Weiss smiled. "Of course. I wouldn't give you something like that and then tell you that you couldn't watch it."

"Awesome! You get the bed ready, and I'll get the projector!"

* * *

Yang walked into the library and sat down in the first chair she laid eyes on. _"Holy crap… I'm so tired. I had no idea that my training would be so crazy."_ As the blonde sat there and caught her breath, she felt someone's presence near her, then heard a voice.

"Yang?"

The brawler looked up and smiled. "Blake, just the girl I wanted to see."

Blake crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow. "Is that so?"

"Yup!" Yang stood up and pointed a thumb towards the doors. "Do you think we could go somewhere and talk?"

"What's wrong with right here?"

"Uh… Okay, good point. Take a seat."

Blake sat down in a chair opposite of the one Yang had just stood up from. "What's this about?"

"Well, I thought you would like to know… I'm doing some aura training, so I'm getting better."

The faunus looked at the floor. "That's great Yang, but I wasn't really too worried. You're very strong-willed."

"That's not all." Yang sat back down in her chair and looked directly at Blake. "Uncle Qrow told me what you said the day I woke up. I know you blamed yourself for what happened."

Blake sighed and stared at her feet. "That's because I felt like it _was_ my fault. I felt like my decisions led to your injuries. Talking to your uncle helped me realize I was wrong."

Yang leaned back in her chair and draped one of her arms over the back of it. "You can't think like that. Blake. I know that it was your idea to fight that thing, but I never once disagreed with anything you said. It's just as much my fault as it is yours."

"But what about-"

"Nope. No 'buts'. Are we clear?"

Blake shook her head, but smiled. "Yes, I understand."

Yang grinned. "Good." Silence grew between the pair and Yang's smile faded. "There's actually one more reason I wanted to talk to you."

The faunus could sense the seriousness in her partner's tone. "What about?"

"Well, it's about something I learned from training with Professor Goodwitch."

Blake nodded. "Okay."

Yang leaned forward and laced her fingers together. "Aparrantly, if I mess up my training and don't keep my Aura Poisoning in check, my aura and semblance could change. Or, even worse… I could lose them."

Blake was shocked. "What do you mean 'lose them'?"

"I mean they would be gone. Like, they would disappear." Yang held her hands out in front of her and stared at them. "I… I'm scared, Blake."

The faunus got out of her chair and stood next to her partner. She placed a hand on her back and gently rubbed up and down. "It will be okay, Yang."

Small tears were on the edge of Yang's eyes. "You don't know that. What if… What if I lose m-"

"Don't talk like that. It will only stress you out more. The only thing you need to focus on is your training. Don't worry about what _could_ happen. Focus on what _is_ happening. Your training to get your poisoning under control, so that's all you need to care about. As much as Weiss would hate me for saying this, your studies come second. Your well being is far more important."

Yang bolted out of her chair and wrapped the faunus in a hug. "Thanks, Blake."

While stunned at first, Blake returned the hug, and blushed slightly as she did so. "You're welcome."

They separated and looked into each other's eyes. Blake blushed slightly, while Yang had a huge grin covering her face. "Seriously, thank you. You're the best friend I could ask for."

Blake felt a twinge of pain at the statement. _"That shouldn't bother me, but it does… why?"_ She shook the thought out of her head and smiled at the blonde. "You too."

"So, you want to head back to the dorm?"

"No, I think I'm gonna stay here and read for a little while longer."

Yang shrugged. "Okay, suit yourself." She turned to walk out of the library, but Blake stopped her. "Oh, wait."

"Yeah?"

"Have you told Ruby about your situation?"

The blonde shook her head. "No, not yet. I don't want to freak her out."

"Why did you tell me?"

"Well, it's always easy for me to talk to you. I don't why, it's just natural. Plus, I knew you could handle it better than Ruby. I mean, she's my sister, so I'll tell her soon, but I wanted to wait a while to talk to her about it. You're the only person I've told so far."

Blake crossed her arms and smirked. "So, I'm just special then."

Yang grinned and winked. "You bet you are, kitty cat."

A blush immediately appeared on Blake's face, which she hid by turning around and walking deeper into the library. "W-Whatever. I'll see you later."

"Alright, see ya."

* * *

Ruby woke up the next day and immediately looked at her scroll. _"Eight o'clock. He should be awake."_ She quietly slipped out of bed, careful not to wake her sleeping girlfriend, and stepped into the hall. She leaned against the door, looked at her scroll and began to go through her contacts. After a few seconds, she found the one she was after.

She dialed the number and held it up to hear ear. It rang for several seconds, then she heard a voice on the other end. _**"Ruby?"**_

"Hey, Dad. I figured you would be awake."

" _ **Why are you up so early?"**_

"I wanted to talk to you before you went into the city, just one more time. I don't have any classes today, so I wasn't worried about being up too early. I can just sleep later."

" _ **Oh, I gotcha."**_ There was a slight raspiness to his voice.

" _He must have just woke up."_ Ruby rolled her eyes. "So, are you heading into the city today?"

" _ **That's the plan, but we're still waiting on our fourth member to show up."**_

"Fourth member?"

" _ **Yeah, we didn't want just the three of us. We're being smart about this. Ironwood even brought a small fleet with him. Real people this time, not robots."**_

The new information put Ruby's mind slightly at ease. "That's good to hear. So, who else is helping you out down there?"

" _ **You don't know already? It's-"**_ Taiyang was cut off as Ruby heard the unmistakable roar of an airship's engines. _**"Hey, Ruby, I gotta go. I'll talk to you in a few days, if all goes well."**_

"If all goes well?"

" _ **Don't worry about that. I**_ **will** _ **talk to you in a few days. I love you, sweetheart."**_

"I love you too, Dad." Ruby held her scroll to her ear for a while, even after an audible beep signaled the other person had hung up the call. _"I hope he'll be okay."_ Ruby suddenly lost her footing and came tumbling backwards, as someone opened the door.

The younger girl felt two hands catch her right before she would have hit the floor. She looked up and stared into two, bright blue eyes. "You dolt, why would you lean against a door? If someone opens it you would fall, like just now."

The younger girl snickered. "I guess it was pretty dumb, but thank you for catching me." Ruby leaned up and kissed Weiss on her cheek."

The heiress smiled. "Only because I knew you were out there. Why are you up, anyway? I figured you would sleep in today."

"I wanted to talk to my dad before he went into the city. I thought that if I called him while they were at the safe house, he would be able to answer."

"Oh, I thought I heard you talking to someone out there. Is everything alright?"

Ruby nodded. "Yeah, they're just waiting on someone else to get there."

"Someone else? Who is it?"

"Don't know. Right before he told me I heard an airship. He said he had to go, but I could barely hear him over that thing anyway, so I didn't mind."

"Well, I guess there's no use in worrying about it. Do you want to go get some breakfast?"

Ruby hopped up and grinned. "That sounds awesome."

* * *

Taiyang placed his scroll in his pocket and stood up. He had been sitting on the porch of the safe house while talking to Ruby, but nearly got blown over as the airship landed. He walked over to the vessel and made his way to the back. The first thing he saw was green hair poking out from behind several bags. "It's about time you made it out here. We were starting to think you might bail on us, Oobleck."

The energetic man sped out of the ship to stand right next to Taiyang. "Nonsense. I simply needed ample time to prepare myself. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity, and I intend to make the most of it. I would love to get a sample of the Mistrae, if possible."

"You do know they disappear after they die, right? They are Grimm, afer all."

"I am well aware of that fact, but so little is known about these creatures, that I am unwilling to rule out anything until I test it myself. Shall we proceed indoors?"

"I guess. Qrow and James are setting up everything we need for the hunt. They should be just about ready."

Oobleck took a huge gulp from his thermos. "Excellent!"

As they stepped inside, Qrow and Ironwood were slinging bags over their shoulders. Qrow pointed to a bag on a couch nearby. "Hey, Tai, we went ahead and packed your bag for ya. The quicker we get this done, the quicker we can get home."

The blonde man nodded and grabbed it. "Thanks, you two."

Oobleck stepped forward and stood in front of Qrow and Ironwood. "Good day, James. it's been a while."

"Always a pleasure, Bartholomew."

The professor then turned to Qrow. "You as well. It's been longer since we've seen each other." His eyes drifted away and he gently tapped his chin. "Not since..."

Qrow cut him off. "Not since Summer's funeral."

The room went quiet for a few moments, before Taiyang spoke up. "Well, no use in standing around here. Let's get this show on the road!" He clapped his hands together and stepped outside, and the rest of the group quickly followed.

As they made their way onto the porch, several soldiers were standing in front of the airship, and saluted General Ironwood as he came outside. "At ease, men."

Oobleck walked into the back of the ship and pulled out his own bag. He then walked to the front of the ship and pointed in the direction of the city. "Gentlemen, shall we begin?"

* * *

 **Hey, guys. Me again.**

 **So, who wants to play a game? I know I didn't give any hints as to what it was, but if anyone can guess what show Ruby and Weiss were gonna watch, you will receive one internet cookie. You only get one hint: It's another Rooster Teeth show. You better start guessing or your cookie will get cold... or digitalized... whatever internet cookies do.**

 **Also, RWBY Volume 4 trailer is coming out October 3rd! Get hype!**

 **Anyway, that's all from me, I guess. I'll see you guys in the next chapter!**

 **:D**


	32. Back Home

It had been four days since Taiyang's team had left for the Grimm-infested city, and Ruby worried about her dad and uncle every day that they were gone. Multiple times during the last few nights, Weiss had woke up to find Ruby crying in her sleep. She always woke her up and comforted her, until she fell back to sleep.

Weiss didn't mind doing it, she loved Ruby, but it was starting to take a toll on her. She wasn't able to sleep very well because of it, and it was starting to affect her studies. So, she was pretty annoyed when the sound of a scroll ringing woke her up earlier than she would have liked.

The heiress rolled over and looked at the scroll on the bedside table. _"That's Ruby's..."_ She picked it up and softly nudged her girlfriend awake. "Ruby, your scroll is ringing."

The younger girl opened her eyes and sat up slowly. "Wha? Who-" She cut herself off with an enormous yawn, which ended with her smacking her lips a few times. "Who is it?"

Weiss looked at the scroll and quickly handed it to Ruby. "It's your father."

Ruby immediately perked up. "Really?" She snatched the scroll from her girlfriend's hands and stared at it. Her mind was racing. _"Okay, this could mean a couple of things. One, that they're done with the mission and they're coming home. Two, that they didn't find anything and are coming home empty-handed. Or three… somebody's hurt."_ Ruby answered the call and held the scroll up to her ear. "Hello?"

Taiyang's cheerful voice came from the other end of the call. _**"Hey, sweetheart. I didn't wake you up, did I? I know it's pretty early."**_

Ruby smiled, happy that her dad was still okay. At least, okay enough to sound so carefree. She stretched her back and groaned. "Well, I was asleep, but it's fine."

" _ **Oh, I can call back later if you want."**_

Ruby waved her hand in front of her, even though Taiyang couldn't see it. "Nah, don't worry about it." Ruby glanced down at her girlfriend, who had quiet a few bags under her eyes and a pretty serious case of bed head. "You might have to apologize to Weiss later, though."

" _ **Well, I'll be sure to do that at some point today."**_

"Today? So, that means..."

" _ **Yeah, we're coming back."**_

The young girl was overjoyed. "That's awesome! I've been worried about you guys the whole time you've been gone. When are you going to be here?"

" _ **Well, we're loading our stuff in the airship now. We should be there some time tonight."**_

"Sweet!"

Taiyang could hear the happiness in his daughter's voice. _**"Well, I'm glad you're happy."**_

"Of course I am!" Ruby grinned so brightly, she could almost swear her mouth had grown to allow her more room. "So, how did the mission go?"

The call went silent after Ruby asked her question. Taiyang took a deep breath before responding. _**"It went off without a hitch."**_

"Well, that's a good thing, right?"

" _ **I don't know. It almost seemed too easy. You know what, I'll just tell you about it when I get back. It looks like we're getting ready to head out over here."**_

"Okay. I love you, Dad."

" _ **Love you too, baby girl."**_

There was a beep as the call ended and Ruby laid her scroll back down on the bedside table. She laid down next to Weiss and slipped an arm around her waist. The white-haired girl rolled over and leaned into Ruby's hold more. "So, what did your father call about?"

"He's coming home!"

Weiss smiled at the expression on Ruby's face. Seeing Ruby happy, always made her happy. It was just another reason she loved her. "You sound excited."

"You bet I am. I can't wait to talk to him about the mission."

Weiss yawned loudly and rolled over and turned her back to Ruby, but scooted closer to her. "Well, we don't have classes until nine this morning, so I'm going back to sleep for a while."

"That sounds like a good idea." Ruby buried her face in Weiss' hair, closed her eyes and quickly fell asleep.

* * *

Yang collapsed onto the floor, out of breath.

Goodwitch stood out of her chair, rushed to Yang's side and knelt down beside her. "Are you alright?"

The young girl pushed herself up until she was sitting on her knees. "Y-Yeah, I'm fine. I just-" Yang coughed several times. "I just need a minute."

Glynda nodded and stood up. "Understood. Take all the time you need." Glynda pushed her glasses up the bridge of her nose and glanced at her clipboard. "Actually, you have made significant progress over the last few sessions. Feel free to take the rest of the day off."

Yang stood up and brushed herself off. "Really?"

"Yes. I believe you've earned it."

"Cool! Thanks, professor!" Yang started to walk out of the office, but stumbled slightly and was brought down to one knee. "Uh… I might wait a while, if that's okay. I'm still kinda… drained."

"That's fine." Glynda walked towards the door of her office and turned the handle. "However I have something I need to take care of. Take as long as you need to recover. Just make sure you shut the door when you leave."

"I will. Thanks again, professor."

Glynda smiled. "You're welcome." She then shut the door and started to make her way to Ozpin's office, which left Yang by herself.

The blonde girl stayed in her chair and caught her breath. _"Man, this is ridiculous. The fact that I can barely walk for a while after training is so annoying."_ Yang closed her eyes and rubbed the sides of her head with two fingers. _"I gotta get this whole thing under control."_

She stood up and shakily made her way out of the office and towards Team RWBY's room. After what seemed like hours, she made it and slowly pushed open the dorm's door. _"Finally."_ She walked over to her bed and just stared at it. It took all of her strength to climb up onto it. Once on top of it, she rolled onto her back and let out a long breath. "This is such a pain in the ass."

Suddenly, Yang heard a voice nearby. "Yang, is that you?"

The blonde rolled onto her side in an attempt to see the source of the voice. Her eyes scanned the room and she noticed that the bathroom door was shut. After a second, she realized the voice sounded like her sister's. "Ruby?"

"Yeah, I'm in the bathroom. Are you okay? You sound annoyed."

Yang sighed and rolled back onto her back. "I'm fine, I was just thinking out loud."

The blonde heard running water for a minute, then it stopped and the bathroom door opened, revealing her sister. "Are you sure you're okay?"

"Yeah, I'm just tired. Those classes with Professor Goodwitch are really taking a lot out of me."

"Why don't you just ask her if you can take a break?"

Yang shook her head. "I can't afford to do that right now. You know that."

Ruby hopped up onto Yang's bed and sat at the end of it. "I only know what you told me yesterday."

"Yeah… Sorry I waited so long to tell you."

The younger sister waved her hand dismissively. "Don't worry about it. It looked like something was eating you, so I thought something might be up. I figured you would tell me when you were ready to." Ruby climbed off the bed and looked up at her sister. "But, there is one way that you can make it up to me."

"And that is..."

"I want you to ask Glynda if you can take a break." Yang opened her mouth to speak, but Ruby pushed her hand up and covered it. "I know you're worried about losing your aura, I mean, I'm worried about that, too. I don't want you to lose it. I can't imagine what you must be going through. But if Glynda says you can take a break, then you can take a break. I would imagine she knows what she is talking about. So, just promise me that you'll talk to her."

"When did you start being so mature? I'm supposed to be the one taking care of you, not the other way around." Yang groaned, but nodded in agreement. "Okay, I'll ask her tomorrow."

Ruby smiled. "Good. So, do you need anything? I'm about to leave."

"Where are you going?"

"I'm gonna go meet up with Weiss and head to town for a bit, but if you need me here, I can stay."

Yang shook her head. "Nah, I'll be okay. You go have fun with your girlfriend, just don't have too much fun." The blonde raised and lowered her eyebrows in a teasing manner.

Ruby rolled her eyes. "Very funny, sis. I'll see you later." The younger sister turned around and stepped out of the dorm. She looked at Yang one last time before shutting the door and making her way to Weiss.

* * *

Ruby stared at the center of Beacon's courtyard and quickly saw something that struck a small amount of fear into her. Weiss was standing by the fountain in the middle of the walkway, and she looked very, _very_ annoyed.

Weiss pulled out her scroll and looked at the time. _"That girl… Will she ever learn to be on time?"_ The heiress looked up as she heard the sound of quickly approaching footsteps. She sighed and put her scroll back in her pocket. "Ruby, you-"

"I know I'm late, you don't have to tell me. I would have been here sooner, but I was checking up on Yang. Sometimes it looks like she's getting worse instead of better."

Weiss' annoyed expression softened and she placed her hand in Ruby's. "It's okay. I wasn't waiting very long." The heiress began to pull her towards the airship docks. "Let's go."

Ruby happily followed along. "You know, you still haven't told me where we're going. All I know is that we're going into town."

The older girl nodded. "And that's all you need to know for now."

"… Fine."

Weiss raised an eyebrow curiously. "What, are you mad? Need I remind you that you took me all the way to Patch one day, without telling me a word about what we were doing there?"

Ruby raised a finger and opened her mouth, but hung her head after a moment. "Okay, good point."

Weiss stopped walking once they reached the docks and were standing by the side of a ship Ruby didn't recognize. "Weiss, what is this? It doesn't look like a normal ship..."

"That's because it isn't. This is a private ship for Schnee use only."

Ruby looked at the vessel in awe. "Are you sure we can use this thing?"

"Of course. I requested it from my father and he made no objections."

"Your dad?"

"Yes. He is the head of the SDC, after all."

Ruby looked towards the ground and kicked one of her feet back and forth. "Right..."

"Are you okay? We don't have to go if this is too much. I know it's somewhat gaudy, but-"

The younger girl glanced at Weiss and shook her head. "No, no, it's fine. But… your dad..."

"What about him?"

"Have you..." Ruby took a deep breath and closed her eyes. "Have you talked to him about, y'know… 'us'?"

Weiss' gaze drifted to her feet. "R-Ruby… I-I..."

Ruby looked at her girlfriend. "If you haven't, that's okay, but you should do it. I would really like it if you did."

The heiress sighed and placed a hand on her girlfriend's shoulder. "I know that it means a lot to you, but you don't know him like I do… I'm just scared."

"Of what? You can make your own decisions about who you want to be with. He's your dad, not your boss."

"He doesn't see it that way. I'll talk to him about it eventually, but it will be a little while. I'm sorry, but that's how it is for me. I don't know what his reaction will be, and until I'm sure of that, I would rather not bring it up. I love you, and nothing will ever change that, okay? I just need some time."

Ruby slowly nodded. "… Okay."

Weiss motioned for her to get on the ship, but Ruby started to back away. "Actually, I'm not feeling very well. I think I'm just gonna go lay down for a while. Sorry."

Weiss stretched out her hand and grabbed Ruby's cloak, but the younger girl gently pried it away. "If you decide to go into town, will you pick me up a notebook? I'm running out of space in the one I have now. I can pay you for it when you get back."

Ruby turned and started to head back towards Beacon, as Weiss reached out to her. "Ruby, wait."

The younger girl turned around and smiled. "Don't worry, I'll be here when you get back. Just wake me up if I'm asleep, okay?" She then made her way back to the school. Weiss watched her until she disappeared from sight.

The heiress hung her head and slowly trudged onto her ship. She sat down and a small window opened, revealing the ship's cockpit. "Is your friend not joining us, Miss Schnee?"

"No, she wasn't feeling very well. But can you still take me to the shop like I had planned? I would like to pick up a few things."

"Certainly."

"Oh, one more thing."

"Yes?"

"I would also like to stop in Patch, if there's enough time."

"Patch?"

"It's a small town just north of Vale."

The pilot nodded. "Ah, I believe I know the place. Would you like to go there before or after the trip to the city?"

"Before, please."

"Very well, miss."

Weiss smiled. "Thank you." The window closed and the heiress was left alone with her thoughts. Her mind raced back to Ruby's smiling face, right before she left. Weiss closed her eyes and breathed out slowly. _"That was the fakest smile I have ever seen. I'll make this up to you, Ruby. I promise."_

* * *

Yang's eyes opened slightly as she heard the door to the dorm open, and was surprised when she saw Ruby walk through. "Hey, sis. I thought you were going out with Weiss?"

"I thought you were going to sleep?"

The blonde chuckled. "Believe it or not, I think I'm actually too tired to go to sleep right now. What's your excuse?"

She shrugged. "I… don't know."

"What do you mean?"

"Well… Weiss hasn't talked to her dad about our relationship yet."

Yang leaned forward and propped herself up with one arm. "Really? I figured that would be something she would have done when you two started dating."

"Yeah, well, she wanted to wait. But we've been together for months now. I wish she would talk to him about it already. What's the worst that could happen?"

The blonde pushed herself off her bed and stood next to Ruby. "Think about it. Weiss was raised as an _heiress_. She is probably supposed to marry some guy, have a baby, then raise that baby to take over the company."

"What makes you think that?"

"It's not that unrealistic. That's how a lot of 'royalty' raise their kids. So, I would imagine that if she told her dad that she was dating a girl, it could have some pretty serious consequences on the rest of her life."

Ruby took a deep breath, then sighed. "I never thought of it like that before… I guess I owe Weiss an apology."

Yang nodded. "Yeah, probably, but I honestly think she owes you one, too." The blonde walked towards the door that led into the hallway. "I mean, she might have her own problems to deal with, but she needs to address them. She might have taken too long for your liking at this point, but you can't force her to do something like this." She opened the door and stepped into the hallway. "If you ask me, you both should say sorry."

Ruby hung her head. "I guess you're right. Hey, where are you going?"

Yang pointed a thumb down the hall. "I'm heading to the cafeteria. Maybe some food will help me feel better."

"Okay, I'll see you later, then. I think I'm gonna lay down for a little bit."

"Alright, see ya."

The door shut and Ruby crawled into bed. She placed her hands behind her head and closed her eyes. _"Ugh… why did I leave? I should have just stayed with her."_ Before she knew it, she was asleep. She didn't realize it until she was woken up, however.

A beeping noise next to her head was the reason for her being concious. She turned over and saw the source of the noise. Her scroll was going off, and apparently it had been ringing for a while. As she picked it up, the ringing stopped. She rubbed her eyes and stared at the screen. As she looked at it, she grew anxious.

Eight missed calls from Weiss. _"Uh oh."_ She hesitantly pushed the bright green call button, and waited for her girlfriend to answer. Each time it rang, she readied herself for one of the verbal onslaughts that heiress was known for. However, the voice on the other end was surprisingly calm. "Ruby?"

"Hey, Weiss."

"Where have you been? I've been trying to call you for an hour. Is everything okay?"

Ruby let out a loud groan as she stretched in her bed. "Yeah, I just fell asleep by accident, sorry." There was silence on the other end of the call for almost a whole minute. "Weiss, are you still there?"

"Yes, sorry. Look… can we talk when I get back? I have something I would like to say." The question chilled Ruby to her core. _"Oh god… she's breaking up with me. I'm so stupid! I should have seen this coming after the way I acted earlier. Ruby, you're such an idiot! No, calm down, Ruby. You're probably just overreacting"_

Ruby swallowed dryly. "Uh, yeah, sure. W-When will you be back?"

"I'll be arriving at the docks shortly. Will you meet me there?"

"Do you think you could just come up to the dorm? I don't feel very good."

"Normally, I wouldn't have a problem with that, but... I'd rather not do this in private."

The statement worried Ruby even more. _" Okay, so I wasn't overreacting. I can't say I'm surprised. She's Weiss Schnee, she can have anyone she wanted. Why would she settle for someone like me?"_ Ruby shook her head and cleared her throat. "Yeah, I'll be down in a few minutes."

"Thank you. See you then."

Ruby hung up without saying anything else, then started to cry. _"Why… Why couldn't I... just… WHY?!"_ She raised her head and wiped her eyes with her hood. _"Okay… I might as well just go."_ She got off her bed and left the dorm.

By the time she reached the docks, she saw Weiss getting off her ship. She composed herself the best she could and made her way over to her. She walked up to the heiress, who had her back turned, and coughed.

Weiss spun around and stared into her eyes. "Oh, there you… Have you been crying?"

Ruby shook her head. "Nah, I'm just tired."

"Oh, alright." Ruby always had a tell when she was lying, and Weiss knew just what that was. She noticed it as soon as Ruby spoke. _"Liar."_

The pilot brought a few small bags around from the other side of the ship. "Here you go, Miss Schnee."

Weiss took the bags, then smiled at the pilot. "Thank you."

"My pleasure, Miss. Will that be all?"

"Yes. Tell my father I said thank you."

"Certainly. Farewell."

The man got back into the ship and flew off, while Weiss turned to Ruby. "Do you think we could go to the fountain?"

" _Of course, the place with the most people. You don't want me to make a scene, do you?"_ Ruby smiled and held out her hand. "Sure."

Weiss placed her bags in one hand, and held Ruby's in the other. _"There's that fake smile again."_

The reached the fountain and sat down on a bench just across from it. Weiss put her bags down in front of her and looked to Ruby. "Look, about earlier today… I'm sorry. I should have been more considerate of your feelings."

Ruby shook her head. "No, I'm the one who should apologize. I don't know what kind of relationship you have with your dad. I shouldn't push you to do something that makes you uncomfortable. I understand if you're mad at me… and if..."

"If what?"

"… If you don't want to be with me anymore..."

The heiress' eyes widened. "What do you mean? I would never want that."

Ruby looked up at her. "What? I thought that was the whole reason you wanted to meet in a public place. Lot's of people so I won't make a scene, then we could just go our separate ways."

Weiss grabbed the sides of Ruby's face and locked eyes with her. "Ruby… why would you think that? I love you and I would never leave you. I made a promise, remember?" Weiss reached into her bag and pulled something out. "I actually brought you out here to apologize, so it didn't seem like I wanted to hide anything. I didn't want you to think that I was worried if people knew we were together."

She brought out a small box from one of the bags. "Here is the first part of my apology." Weiss handed Ruby the box, who opened it and smiled brightly once she saw what was inside it. It was a new notebook, but one with gilded pages, and each page was covered in the Schnee emblem and rose petals.

Ruby looked at the notebook, then her girlfriend several times. "Weiss… thank you."

"Wait, I'm not done yet." She reached into another, larger bag and pulled out a huge bouquet of roses. Ruby's jaw dropped and she took them from Weiss carefully.

"W-Whoa… these are gorgeous… but they look familiar."

Weiss nodded. "That's because you've seen them before. I got them from the flower shop you took me to. The one in Patch."

"You went all the way to Patch just to get me some flowers?"

The heiress waved her hand and scoffed. "It was nothing in the Schnee airship. It's able to fly far faster than most ships out there." Weiss looked at the joy on Ruby's face and couldn't help but smile. _"At least her smile isn't fake anymore."_

"Now, there's one more thing that I thought of."

Ruby looked up and raised one eyebrow. "What's that?"

Weiss stood up and held out her hand. "Come here."

The younger girl took her hand and Weiss pulled her close. "Hold on tight." A glyph appeared beneath them and slowly started to raise them into the air, until they were hovering above the fountain that was previously in front of them. Weiss grabbed Ruby's face and pulled her into a deep, passionate kiss.

Ruby quickly returned the gesture and slid her hands around Weiss' waist. After a few moments Weiss pulled back and stared at her partner. " _That's_ why I wanted to meet in public. Normally I try to keep our… _intimacy_ private, but I wanted you to know that I don't care who knows about us, now. It was foolish of me to think so in the first place. I hope this apology was good enough."

Ruby grinned and hugged her. "This was the best. I love you, Weiss."

"I love you too, Ruby."

The younger girl glanced down at the ground and held onto Weiss tighter. "So, um… Do you think that we could get down from here?"

"Oh, of course." Weiss lowered the glyph until it was only a couple of inches off the ground. She stepped off first, then grabbed Ruby's hand and led her off it. "Sorry, I forgot just how high up we were."

"It's okay, it was just weird to look below us and see the ground through your glyph. It made me feel like I was standing on thin glass."

"Yes, well, I'll be sure to make it thicker next time."

"Next time?"

Weiss blushed. "W-Well, I mean… if there _is_ a next time for this sort of thing."

Ruby snickered and kissed Weiss quickly on her cheek. "I would love it if there was a next time."

"O-Okay then..." Weiss looked at her bags on the ground and then at her scroll. "Well, it's getting late. Do you want to head up to the dorm?"

"Sure that sounds good to me."

The pair picked up the bags and started to make their way towards the dorm, but stopped when someone called Ruby's name. They turned around and saw a blonde man waving at them. Ruby set her bags down and ran to him. "Dad!"

Taiyang knelt down and scooped her up in a hug. "Told you we would be okay."

Ruby grinned and hugged him tighter. "I was so worried about you guys."

"Well, it's okay. We're back now."

Ruby pulled back and looked at the ship, then back to her father. "What happened out there, anyway?"

Taiyang stood up and stretched. "I think you'll have to wait until tomorrow to hear about the mission. We're all pretty tired, and Oobleck has a class to teach tomorrow."

Ruby leaned over and looked at a group of people huddled near the back of the ship. After studying the scene for a minute, she saw spiky green hair behind a couple of soldiers. "Professor Oobleck went with you?"

"Sure did."

"Oh, that explains why he hasn't had a class in a few days."

"I figured you would have pieced that together."

Ruby crossed her arms and puffed her cheeks out. "Well, I didn't."

Taiyang laughed and ruffled her hair. "So, how a-" The hunter was cut off as a small explosion rang out behind them. Taiyang turned around and walked back over to the ship, which now had a plume of smoke rising from it. "What the hell was that?"

The ship's pilot came around the side and pointed under the ship. "I'm not sure. Somehow the engines just gave out. It's gonna take at least a day to fix them."

"Can't you just call in another ship?"

"Not this late. The only ships able to fly during this time are the ones reserved for military use."

Ironwood sighed and leaned against the ship. " Well, this is just fantastic."

"Relax, James. I'm sure there is somewhere here that would comfortably fit you and your men tonight. It is a big campus, after all." Since it was clear that they would be staying the night, Taiyang began to head towards the school. "I'm gonna have a quick chat with Oz and let him know what's going on."

Ruby quickly ran up to her dad and started to walk alongside him, followed by Weiss. "So, you're staying the night here tonight?"

The hunter nodded. "Yeah, looks like it."

Ruby jumped up and down and grinned. "Awesome! You can tell me about the mission! Besides, it's been a long time since you, me and Yang have been able to have some real family time."

"Not that long. I ran into you girls at the restaurant, remember?"

"Psh, that doesn't count. It was only for, like, thirty minutes."

Tayaing laughed and patted his daughter's head. "Well, don't hope for too much. I need to get some rest tonight. I'm exhausted."

The news disheartened Ruby a little, but she was still excited. "I don't care. As long as we can spend some time together, it doesn't matter." She turned around and smiled at Weiss. "You should hang out with us, too!"

The heiress shook her head. "I think I'll sit this one out. As you said, you haven't had much time as a family lately. I would just be intruding."

Ruby pulled her close and hugged her. "But… you're part of the family, too."

Weiss' eyes widened and a blushed crept onto her face. "That's… I don't..." She looked to Taiyang, who shrugged.

"She's right, Weiss. Anyone who is as close to my daughter as you are, and can make her as happy as you have, is just as much family as the rest of us. At least, that's the way I see it."

Weiss' blush deepened and she looked to the ground. "I-I… Thank you."

Ruby began to pull Weiss toward the school. "Now, come on. Let's go!" She looked at her dad and smiled.

The hunter smiled back and gestured toward the school. "Alright, lead the way."

* * *

 **Hello people. So, nothing much happened int the past few days, really. Oh, one thing did, though...**

 **THE RWBY TRAILER DROPPED!**

 **Well, 'character short' technically, but in my opinion it was a trailer. I mean, it reminded me of the old character trailers from way back when before the show started, or before we knew everyone's names. Since those were called trailers, i feel fine calling this one a trailer. But I guess I'm rambling.**

 **I was a little disappointed, because I thought it would be different from the one at RTX, since they said it was unfinished, but it doesn't really matter. What DOES matter, is that the trailer/character short is KICKASS and the hype is fuckin' real!**

 **Anyway, I hope y'all liked this chapter and I'll see you guys in the next one!**

 **:D**


	33. A Building Threat

**Hey, guys. Real quick, I forgot to award cookies last week! The show was X-Ray and Vav! So, anyone who guessed that, consider yourself one internet cookie richer. Congratulations!**

* * *

Ozpin's door creaked open as Taiyang stepped through. The hunter halfway raised his hand and smiled at the headmaster. "Hey, Oz. You busy?"

The man looked up from a stack of papers on his desk. "Not too busy for a friend." The man gestured to a small group of chairs in front of him. "I welcome the distraction, come take a seat."

Taiyang took a few steps forward, but stopped just short of the chairs. "Actually, I'll just stand. I won't be in here very long."

"Very well, then. What can I do for you, Taiyang?"

Taiyang placed his hands on the back of one of the chairs and leaned forward. "I was wondering if you heard anything about the ship that's coming to get us."

Ozpin took a sip of his coffee and nodded. "I have, in fact. However, there is one minor problem."

"Which is?"

"While you and Qrow are free to leave, Ironwood and his soldiers must stay here for the time being."

"What? Why?"

The headmaster took another sip from his mug and sighed. "Well, there are no military ships available to fly to Atlas."

"Why not? They can make it just as well as one of the other airships."

"Civilian vessels are not allowed within Atlas' airspace."

Taiyang rolled his eyes and groaned. "That figures. Leave it to the military kingdom to leave one of their own generals stranded."

"That aside, what time will you and Qrow be leaving?"

The hunter sighed and hung his head. "Well, if I know James, he'll give us hell if we leave him here with no way out. I mean, there's already a bit of bad blood between him and Qrow. I would hate to make it worse. We might as well stay here until he leaves."

Ozpin nodded. "Very well."

Taiyang stood up straight and cracked his knuckles. "Well, I guess I better head out there and let him know."

Ozpin smirked. "Would you like some reinforcements? I'm sure Glynda would be happy to deliver bad news to the general."

"Nah, I'll do it myself. It will brighten my day up just to see the look on his face." The blonde man made his way towards the door and looked back one last time at the headmaster. "I'll see ya later, Oz."

Ozpin replied with a simple nod of his head, took a sip of his coffee, then returned to a pile of papers on his desk.

* * *

Taiyang approached the general cautiously. "Hey, you got a minute?"

"Well… not exactly. What do you need?"

"I've actually got some bad news for you..."

Ironwood raised an eyebrow suspiciously. "Which is… what, exactly?"

"Oz talked to the Atlas military, and they aren't going to be able to send a ship for you."

The general placed his face in one of the palms of his hands. "Outstanding."

Taiyang placed a hand on his shoulder and smiled. "Cheer up, pal. Qrow and I will stick around 'til you're gone, so at least things will be interesting."

Ironwood looked up and sighed. "I'm not sure I would call a day with Qrow 'interesting'."

The blonde hunter laughed and patted him on the back. "Well, at least I'll be here to keep him in check."

A sudden, loud popping noise coming from the docks drew the pair's attention. A small puff of smoke appeared in the air and they made their way to their broken down ship. Ironwood walked to a group of soldiers and got their attention. "What is going on over here?"

One of the men stood up and saluted the general. "More engine trouble, sir."

"I believe you said you would be able to repair the ship well enough that it could fly back to Atlas, then finish the repairs there."

"I did say that, but the extent of the damage is… surprising."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, if I didn't know any better, I would say that the engine was sabotaged, sir."

The general crossed his arms. "Impossible. That could simply not have happened with everyone on board. Someone would have noticed an extra person."

The soldier shrugged. "I know, sir, but that's what it seems like. Some of the damage wouldn't be possible unless it was deliberate."

The man sighed and furrowed his brow. "Regardless, can you fix it?"

"Yes, sir, but it will take some time to make it fly."

"Very well. Our recovery ship has been delayed anyway, so take your time. I would like this ship in top shape when it's time to return to Atlas. I refuse to leave a military vessel unattended on civilian grounds."

"Yes, sir." The soldier saluted Ironwood, the turned around and continued to work on the ship.

The general turned to the hunter behind him. "How much of that did you hear?"

"I think I heard the word sabotage."

"Indeed. But that would be impossible. Obviously, the ship suffered more extensive damage than was previously thought. That's all. There's no other explanation."

Taiyang looked at the ship suspiciously. "Hmm… alright, if you say so."

"So, where is Qrow? I haven't seen him at all. Not that I mind his absence, of course, but I would like to know that he isn't causing trouble anywhere."

"Relax, James. The only trouble he would cause is hitting on the wrong lady if he gets too drunk."

"Is there ever a time when he _isn't_ too drunk for something of that nature?"

Taiyang crossed his arms and scoffed. "Look, he might get drunk sometimes, but he can control himself." Ironwood raised an eyebrow questioningly. The blonde man noticed and rolled his eyes. "Okay, so he gets drunk _a lot_ , but like I said, he can control himself. It's not like he's gonna get drunk and go on an alcohol-induced tirade through Beacon."

* * *

Qrow was currently going on an alcohol-induced tirade through Beacon. He was stumbling through the halls of the school, until someone caught his eye. "Hay pritty layday, d'ya… *hic*… you gotta boyfriennnd? I can sho you a goooood time."

"Qrow, I'm busy. Go bother some poor girl half your age."

The hunter placed a hand on his chest and gasped. "Hey! I… I take afence to that, little lady!"

The woman turned around and pushed a pair of glasses up the bridge of her nose. "Qrow… don't make me hurt you. We both know I could."

Qrow threw an arm around the woman's shoulder and winked. "Come oooooonnn, don't bee like that, Witchy."

The woman threw his arm off and rolled her eyes. "I told you not to call me that."

Qrow scoffed in response. "Fine… _Glynda_. Ugh, that name is so boorinnng. Witchy is such a cute name."

"No, it's not. Why are you here? Aren't you leaving today?"

"I was waitin' for Tai to come git mee, but I got… distracted."

The blonde rolled her eyes. "Distracted by the first person who offered you alcohol, I bet." Glynda began to walk off and spoke over her shoulder. "Well, I have to meet with your niece, so I'm afraid our conversation must be cut short."

"Fine. See ya laturr, Witchy." Qrow hiccuped, then turned and walked the opposite direction of the professor. He turned left down another hallway and ran into a small girl. "Hey, watch where yo- Oh, Ruby. What are you doin'?"

"Heading to class. I'm almost late." She made sure her uniform was straight and looked closely at her uncle. "Are you… drunk?"

"Psh… maaaybe."

The young girl sighed and pushed past him. "This is a school, you know. If you're gonna drink, you could at least do it off campus."

Qrow shrugged. "Well, I didn't plan to be here this long. Wherz yer dad, anyway?"

"Not sure. I saw him outside with the general earlier, though. I would check out there."

"Alright. You better get to class. You don't wanna be late."

Ruby walked away from the hunter and waved behind her. "Yeah, yeah. See ya, Uncle Qrow." She didn't look back and only knew her uncle was moving, as she heard the sound of him crashing into something and sending it to the floor, followed by a 'damn it' from under his breath. _"And he's a professional hunter, huh?"_

After walking for a few minutes, Ruby pushed open a nearby door and walked inside. As she soon as she stepped into the room, she heard her teacher's voice, which made her cringe slightly.

"Miss Rose, you're late."

"Sorry, Professor Peach. It won't happen again."

"See that it doesn't. Now, please take your seat."

Ruby walked over to a desk, sat down and sighed. She propped her head up by placing her chin in the palm of her hand, and her eyes drifted to a clock at the front of the classroom. _"This class can't end soon enough."_

* * *

Several hours passed, and Qrow was now walking through Beacon's courtyard, until he heard a distant voice call his name. "Qrow, do you mind coming over here for a second?"

He knew who the voice belonged to instantly. The hunter rolled his eyes and made his way over to Ironwood. "What?"

The general walked closer to Qrow and lowered his voice. "Have you seen any of my soldiers acting… strange?"

The question piqued Qrow's interest. "What do you mean 'strange'?"

"I mean, have you noticed any suspicious behavior from my soldiers?"

Qrow shrugged. "Not really. I normally stay clear of anything related to Atlas. Speaking of which..." The hunter turned and started to walk away, but Ironwood grabbed his shoulder and spun him around.

"I'm serious."

Qrow's gaze narrowed and he slid the general's hand off him. "So am I."

"Look, according to one of my soldiers, the damage my ship sustained was caused by sabotage."

The hunter's eyes widened and he stepped closer to Ironwood. "… What did you just say?"

"You heard me." The general glanced towards his ship, then turned back to Qrow. "I'm worried that… it's possible one of my soldiers may not be what they seem."

"Do you think it's one of the Grimm? We killed the only one that we saw."

"Yes, we did. However, there were many times, while we were switching out watches at night, when _something_ may have been able to slip by, unnoticed."

Qrow ran a hand through his hair and sighed. "James, if that's true..."

"It would be disastrous, I know."

Another loud pop came from the ship, which caused Ironwood to make his way over to the ship, with Qrow right behind him. They arrived and saw a soldier lying on his back under the ship. He rolled out from under it, then quickly stood up straight and saluted the general. "Sorry, sir. Just trying to fix what I can."

"Where are the others that were helping you?"

"Private Frost and Private Coral left awhile ago, sir. Frost told Coral he needed to show him something. They mentioned getting some food while they were gone." A thoughtful expression made its way across the soldiers' face. "Now that I think about it, that was several hours ago."

"What? That is unacceptable."

"Sorry, sir. I should have stopped them."

"I do not blame you for this incident. You've been at this all day. Take some rest, you've earned it."

"Thank you, sir."

"Report back to me when the other two return."

"Yes, sir." The soldier saluted him, then turned and made his way away from the ship.

Qrow leaned close to Ironwood. "So, I don't know about you, but that seems pretty weird to me."

"Yes, I was thinking the same thing. I think I'll investigate this further. I know this is asking a lot, but would you and Taiyang mind sticking around? I would like to make sure everything is under control, and that we don't have any… unwanted guests."

"Yeah, sounds good. I'll talk to Tai about it. Any idea where he is?"

"I'm not sure. I believe he went into town with his daughters."

Qrow scoffed. "And he didn't tell me about that little get-together? I'm offended. They're my nieces, after all."

Ironwood crossed his arms. "I'm sure that has something to do with the fact that you have been drunk for the majority of the day."

"Whatever." The hunter turned and started heading back towards the school. "I'm gonna go talk to Oz about this mess, just in case we're right. Then, I guess I'll wait around for Tai to get back."

"Very well, I'll talk to you later, Qrow. And keep your eyes open."

The man waved a hand behind him. "Mhm." He made his way up a large set of steps and made his way through the school. Qrow looked around him as he walked and took in the sights and sounds of his old school. _"Man, this place hasn't changed one bit."_

Before he knew it, he was outside of Ozpin's office. He slowly turned the hand and poked his head through a small crack between the door and the wall. "Hey, Oz, you got a minute?"

The headmaster turned around from the window he was looking out of and faced the hunter. "Certainly. What can I help you with, Qrow?"

Qrow walked over to Ozpin's desk, then sat down in one of the chairs in front of it. "We need to talk."

* * *

"Really? That's all that happened?"

"Yup, that's it. I told you it was easy."

Yang, Ruby, and Taiyang were walking around through downtown Vale. They had just finished eating dinner together and were now slowly making their way towards the airship docks to head back to Beacon, while Taiyang filled his daughters in on everything that happened on his mission.

Yang jogged ahead of the group and turned around, then started walking backwards. "So, you only found one of them?"

Taiyang nodded. "Yeah, like I said, it was easy. The entire time we were out there, we scoured that place for those things. Honestly, the only thing I can think of is that you guys managed to kill _almost_ all of them. I guess there was just one little straggler left hangin' around."

Ruby grinned and nudged her dad softly in the ribs. "So, I guess that means we get the silver medal while you take the gold, huh?"

The blonde man laughed. "Yeah, it seems that way. Thanks for doing all the grunt work so we could take all of the credit."

Ruby stuck out her tongue, but smiled afterward. "You're welcome. Anytime you need to get some _real_ work done, we'll be around."

Taiyang rolled his eyes. "Very funny."

A few minutes passed and they arrived at the airship docks. As they approached the ship, Taiyang's scroll started to go off. He pulled it out, looked at it, then pointed to an airship. "You girls go ahead and get on the ship, I'll be there in a second."

Ruby became slightly concerned and looked up at her father. "Is everything okay?"

The blonde man nodded. "Yeah, everything's fine. I just need to take this call, it might be important."

"Okay..." Ruby turned and jogged up to her sister. "C'mon, Yang."

The pair of sisters made their way to the ship, then Taiyang held his scroll up to his ear. "Qrow?"

" _ **Tai, we have a problem."**_

"Look, I'm sorry I didn't invite you to come out with me and the girls, but you were drunk and I-"

" _ **Relax, I understand. But we have to stay at Beacon for now."**_

Taiyang cursed himself internally. "I was gonna tell you that, but it must have slipped my mind. I just don't want James to give us a lecture about leaving him stranded by himself."

" _ **What are you talking about?"**_

The blonde man started to walk towards the airship slowly and his voice grew quieter. "What are _you_ talking about?"

" _ **I was talking to James and somehow the damage to his ship isn't adding up."**_

"… Elaborate."

" _ **Well, according to the soldier Ironwood was talking to, the damage it sustained could only be caused by sabotage."**_

"I talked to him about that, actually. I was going to get your thoughts about it later."

" _ **My first thought was that someone just got tired of the general's strict bullshit, but he brought up something else that could be a possibility."**_

"Which is… ?"

" _ **We could have brought something back with us. Think about it. While we were out there, we constantly had people going to and from the camp. It wouldn't be hard for something to have happened to them."**_

"But we only saw one of them. That seems unlikely."

" _ **Exactly, we only saw one. Tai… we don't know how smart these things are. Maybe that was their plan. We had already been out there twice before... Maybe they prepared this time. Since we only saw one, we were more relaxed then we should have been. Our guard wasn't up. We were sloppy."**_

"Okay, you make a good point."

" _ **Plus, two of Ironwood's soldiers are gone. The story is that they just went to get some food or something, but they've been gone a long time. That's pretty suspicious, if you ask me."**_

Taiyang rubbed his hand down his face and stopped at his chin. "Alright, we'll talk about this more when I get back. We're getting on the ship now."

" _ **Alright, see you then."**_

Taiyang placed his scroll in his pocket, then walked onto the airship. Ruby and Yang waved to him from one of the seats towards the back. "Dad, we're over here!"

He smiled, then walked back to them and took a seat. Ruby looked at the hunter with an expectant expression. "So, what was that call about?"

"Oh, nothing. I just need to talk to Qrow about something when we get back."

"Was he mad that we came without him?"

The blonde man snickered. "Something like that."

Yang stretched her arms and folded them behind her head, then leaned back in her seat. "Well, I think I'm gonna take a nap until we make it back to the school. Wake me up when we get there."

"Okay." Taiyang pulled out his scroll and looked at the time, then leaned back and closed his eyes as well. _"It's pretty late already… let's hope we're wrong about this."_

* * *

Taiyang, Ruby, and Yang walked off of the ship and ran into Qrow. He walked over quickly and placed a hand on Taiyang's shoulder. "Ozpin's Office. Talk. Now."

"What happened?"

"Just hurry." Qrow then turned and headed into the school.

Ruby walked up to her dad. "What was that about? Is everything okay?"

"Y-Yeah." Taiyang looked at the school, then back to his daughters. "I'm gonna go see what's up. I'll see you later, alright?"

"Okay..."

Ruby and Yang watched him until he disappeared into the school. The younger of the pair turned to her sister. "so, what do you think that was about?"

Yang shrugged. "I have no idea. He almost looked like he was in a hurry, though. I'm not sure what that could mean, but..." A mischievous grin quickly appeared on the blonde's face. "I bet we could find out."

Ruby rolled her eyes. "Yang, you know that would be irresponsible."

The blonde raised an eyebrow and crossed her arms. "And since when did you care about something like that?"

"Since I became the leader of the team."

"Suuure. I bet that girlfriend of yours is just rubbing off on you." Yang smirked and nudged rRuby's side. "In more ways than one."

"Yang!"

"Sorry, but there's no harm in just… being nearby and overhearing them."

"You mean eavesdropping?"

Yang shrugged. "Eh, 'tomato, tamahto'."

"I guess we could go check it out a little bit. I am pretty curious."

"Yes!" Yang grabbed her sister's hand and dragged her towards the school. "C'mon, let's go!"

"Yang, y-you don't have to drag me!" Ruby pried her hand out of her sister's grip and stood still. "If we're gonna do this, we're gonna be sneaky."

Yang crossed her arms and huffed. "Fine, how do you propose we do that?"

"Follow me." Ruby walked towards the building, but just as they approached the large staircase in the front, she took a sharp left. "This way." She ran around the side of the building, then grabbed on to a nearby ledge and hoisted herself up. "It's a little bit of a climb, but it's the best spot to be for this sort of thing."

Yang quickly followed her. "How do you know about this place?"

"Well, since I'm always done with classes before you guys, I get bored."

"So… you just randomly decided to scale the side of the school one day?"

Ruby chuckled. "Pretty much, yeah. Then, one day I accidentally overheard something that Ozpin and Uncle Qrow were talking about."

"You mean you were eavesdropping?"

Ruby grinned. "Eh, tomato, tomahto."

Yang rolled her eyes and smiled. "That's my line."

"I learned from the best."

"That you did, sis. That you did."

Ruby climbed onto a ledge, then jumped to a large arch by a window. She sat down and scooted to the window until she was directly underneath it. She waved Yang towards her and her voice fell to a whisper. "Come on, over here."

Yang carefully approached Ruby and knelt down beside her. "Now what?"

"Now we listen."

The sister aimed their ears towards the building and listened carefully. Yang shook her head and groaned. "I can't hear a thing."

"Then shut up and let _me_ listen." Ruby scooted slightly closer to the building.

"Are they saying anything?"

"Sh!" The sounds were muffled, but Ruby could make out a few words here and there."

" _ **Oz… we need to do something about the… rae we can't just… ere with our heads up our a.."**_

" _ **For once, I agree with Qrow. Now is… o act. We n… unt them down, if the… here."**_

Ruby was losing hope that they were going to hear anything interesting, until she heard something that immediately caught her attention.

" _ **We can't take any precautions. If the… an't let Mistrae run around Beacon."**_

Ruby's eyes widened and she gasped, but she quickly held her hand over her mouth and huddled down.

Yang noticed her sister's reaction. "Ruby… what did you hear?"

"Let's get down from here first." Ruby hopped straight down from the ledge and waited for Yang.

The blonde quickly made her way down the building and jumped down to her sister. "Okay, start talking."

Ruby looked at her sister as fear slowly spread across her face. "Yang… I think there's a Mistrae at the school."

"What?! Are you sure?"

"I don't know… I heard them talk about hunting something down, but I figured that it was just another one of their secret missions. Then Ironwood mentioned that they couldn't let Mistrae run around Beacon."

"That's…" Yang looked back up to the place she was just sitting at. "That's not good..."

Ruby started to head back towards the entrance of the school. "Let's go up to the dorm. Weiss and Blake need to know about this."

"Right."

* * *

Ironwood walked back to his ship, but was approached by two soldiers. "Private Frost, Private Coral, where have you two been?"

"Sorry, sir. We just needed to get some food and got sidetracked."

"This is unacceptable behavior from Atlesian Soldiers."

"We're very sorry, sir. It won't happen again."

"Where did you go?"

"… Sir?"

"You said you went to eat. Where did you go for that?"

Frost pointed towards a direction away from the school. "We went to a small building that way."

"What was the name?"

"I… uh… I don't remember, sir. Frost, you?"

The soldier shook his head. "No. Sorry, sir."

Ironwood's gaze narrowed as an idea popped into his head. "Very well. Coral, you pick up the ship parts that I requested? As you know, we need to be in Atlas within the next two days if we are to make it back in time for your mother's funeral."

"Uh…" The soldiers glanced nervously at each other. "Sorry, sir. It must have slipped our minds. I was just trying to get my mind off of the whole thing."

" _Well, that is most certainly interesting, considering his mother is still alive."_ Ironwood straightened his jacket and looked down at the soldiers. "I see. Go get them first thing tomorrow. Dismissed."

"Yes, sir." The soldiers went towards the stranded ship and started talking to another soldier.

The general walked over to another one of his soldiers and pulled him to the side. "Private, please keep an eye on those two men. If they do anything out of the ordinary, report to me. Understood?"

"Yes, sir."

"Good."

Ironwood quickly walked back into the school and made his way to Ozpin's office. He pushed open the door and walked up to the Headmaster's desk. He placed his hands on the sides of the desk and leaned forward. "Ozpin, I wasn't sure before, but now I am. It's the Mistrae... they're here."

* * *

 **Hey, guys. Well, another chapter down, and it looks like things could turn... _Grimm_ for everyone at Beacon. (Hehe, I made a pun!)**

 **Oh, one more thing. There's a little side project of mine that is juuuust about done. It's a small one-shot that I've been working on in between writing the chapters for Snowstorm. If you interested in reading anything else by me, (don't worry, it's still RWBY related) keep your eyes glued my profile, or just follow me. Yeah, that would probably be easier. Plus, you wouldn't have to get glue in your eyes. It's a win-win!**

 **Anyway, that's it from me for now. I'll see you guys in the next chapter!**

 **:D**


	34. Time To Strike

"And you're sure about this?"

"Positive. I know what I heard."

Ruby and Yang were currently informing the rest of the team about everything they heard in Ozpin's office.

Blake began to pace through the dorm. "If this is true… we should prepare. Even if it isn't for certain, it would be wise to be ready for an attack. We know what we're up against."

Weiss nodded in agreement. "She's right. Honestly, I think we should go to Ozpin and confront him about this news. I know we're only students, but we've fought this thing before."

Ruby crossed her arms behind her back and gently kicked the floor with one of her feet. "But… then they'll know we were listening in on them when we shouldn't have been."

Yang placed a hand on Ruby's shoulder. "Hey, I'll be in just as much trouble as you, but we need to do something about this. If those things are on the loose here, we need to do something about it."

The younger girl looked at the determined faces of her teammates. "Alright, let's go."

They started to make their way out of the dorm, but Weiss stopped them. "Wait. Before we go to the office, we should go grab our weapons, just in case."

"Good idea." Ruby opened the door and started heading down the hallway. "But let's make it quick."

The hurried down the hallway towards their lockers. Each one of them quickly pulled out their weapons, then made their way towards Ozpin's office. Once they were outside of it, Ruby stepped forward and gently knocked on the door.

Yang rolled her eyes and pushed past Ruby. "Ruby, this is important, no time for that." She opened the door and stepped inside, followed by her teammates.

As they walked into the room, they noticed Ironwood, Ozpin, Qrow, Taiyang and Glynda surrounding the large desk towards the back of the room.

Taiyang stepped forward until he was standing between the desk and Team RWBY. "What are you girls doing here? And… why do you have your weapons?"

Yang stepped closer to her father. "We know about the Grimm."

"Uh… What do you mean?"

"We know that there's Mistrae at the school. We want to help."

Ironwood walked towards the team. "Girls, there is no reason for you to be here. We have the situation under control."

"C'mon, don't lie to them. We don't know the first thing about this situation."

"Qrow!"

"Don't get all snippy with me because I'm right." The hunter took a drink from his flask, then joined Ironwood and Taiyang. He looked at the team before him and smiled. "Besides, they have more experience than either of you two with these things. Let's at least hear 'em out."

"Thank you, Uncle Qrow." Ruby stepped forward and stood straight. "If there is a threat, especially one that we are familiar with, we deserve to know anything that you do. Keeping us out of the loop not only isn't fair, it's also dangerous. You are limiting yourselves to a smaller group of people, when it would be far more efficient to expand the team, then search for the threat and neutralize it."

Weiss smiled at her girlfriend. The sight of how mature she had become made her proud. Qrow's face had the same expression as hers, while Taiyang was unsure whether to be shocked or proud. "Ruby..."

"Furthermore, if you want to keep this quiet, it would be smart to at least have a few students going around the school with this knowledge. It would be quite suspicious to have a bunch of people that don't even live here wandering around the school with their weapons."

Qrow nudged Taiyang in the side and smirked. "She makes a good point, Tai. What do you think?"

The blonde man looked at Ironwood, who simply gestured towards Ozpin. The headmaster stood up and walked over to the small team. "Ruby Rose."

The sight of Ozpin standing before her intimidated Ruby, but she held her ground. "Y-Yes, sir?"

"You never cease to amaze me." He looked at the faces of the men next to him, then turned back to Ruby. "Very well. If I may ask, how would you handle this situation?"

Ruby looked at her team and grinned. "First, I would make sure the student body is somewhere secure. Get them away from any high-profile areas. Keep them inside the school and in their dorms, if we can. Without causing mass panic, of course."

"Alright, what would be your next step?"

"Find a way to isolate the Grimm, then eliminate them."

"And how would you do that?"

"Narrow down the suspects of possible Mistrae, then lure them all into one spot. Keep guards by the students just in case something manages to slip by. Everyone involved will obviously have to prove that they are not a Grimm."

Ozpin took a sip of his coffee, then smiled. "Very well. Team RWBY will stay here and help us decide our plan of attack. Come this way, please." Ozpin walked back over to his desk and sat down, and the team quickly joined him.

Taiyang stared wide-eyed and open-mouthed. "When did..." He smiled and a small tear appeared in the corner of his eye. "Ruby… She's really grown up, hasn't she..."

Qrow placed a hand on his shoulder. "Both of your daughters have. You should be proud of them. It's not easy to have this job and be so carefree and happy at the same time, but still stay focused."

"I am proud. I just… I wish I could have been around more to see it happen." Taiyang stared at his daughter with wonder. "Can you imagine the look on Summer's face if she could see her now?"

Qrow chuckled. "She would probably cry a lot, then make a ton of cookies for her like she always did."

"Probably."

Qrow threw an arm around the blonde man's shoulder. "You know, she reminds me of her a lot."

"Me too. The cape, the focus, the never-ending desire to help people… she really is just like her mother."

Qrow craned his neck to the side and groaned as it popped several times, then patted Taiyang on the back. "Well, not that I don't love walks down memory lane, but we have more important things to talk about right now."

"You're right. Let's get started."

* * *

"Okay, if General Ironwood was right, and those soldiers _are_ Grimm, then we need to play around that. An impromptu training exercise would be a good idea, I think. You could do it in the morning."

Ironwood, who was sitting in a chair, leaned forward and clasped his hands together. "There isn't time for that. These Grimm are on the school property around all of the students. We need to act fast."

Ruby shook her head. "I don't mean to disrespect you general, but I couldn't disagree more. These Mistrae have been here for two days already. If they were planning something along the lines of a surprise attack, I think we would have seen it by now. I think they're waiting for something."

Ozpin couldn't hide a small smile tugging at the sides of his lips. "She makes a fair point, James."

The general leaned back in his chair and sipped a cup of coffee. "… Very well. Ruby, please continue."

Ruby nodded. "Like I was saying, a surprise training exercise could isolate the soldiers away from the student body, should anything bad happen. You probably won't be able to get too far away from the school, so try to at least get them away from the campus."

Ozpin pulled out a map from under his desk and placed it on the table in front of the young girl. He dragged his finger across it, stopping on a small green patch to the south of the school. "There is a small, empty plot of land that we reserved for a new arena for Glynda's class. We never made use of it. It could prove very fruitful for something of this nature."

"Great. So, the soldiers will be there. Professor Ozpin, can you make sure all of the students stay in their dorms somehow?"

Qrow pointed to a large room on the map. "No need for something like that. Just hold a meeting in the main hall. Every student would be right under our noses."

"Oh… yeah. That would be better. I guess that slipped my mind." A worried expression appeared on Ruby's face.

The hunter smirked and softly nudged his niece. "Don't worry too much about something like that. I'm on board with this plan so far. Keep going."

Ruby nodded and pointed to a small room on the map. It was positioned between the back side of the school and the main hall. "Dad?"

"Yeah?"

"You and Uncle Qrow stay here. If anything bad happens on either side of the school, you can react fast."

"Alright, sounds good. What's next?"

"While everyone is biding their time, my team and I will scout the rest of the school out to find anyone lingering. We will have to be at the meeting in the main hall at some point, though. We would be suspicious otherwise."

Weiss was in shock with just how put-together Ruby's plan was. She didn't have that long to plan for this thing, and the fact she could come up with a strategy this quickly was mind-boggling to the heiress. "Ruby?"

The younger girl looked towards her girlfriend. "Yeah, Weiss?"

"Won't patrolling the school at all be out of the ordinary? It wouldn't exactly be safe to roam around like that without weapons. Seeing as this would be during class hours, it would be very out of place."

Ruby pondered the statement for a while. "Right..." She furrowed her brow and smiled after a moment. "Okay, we put our weapons all in one locker. We will be roaming around as a group, so it won't be that bad, as long as we only have to wait for one locker."

Taiyang stood up and walked close to his daughter. "That would be extremely dangerous. You girls would be defenseless."

Ruby grinned at her father. "That's why you and Uncle Qrow will be so close. That way, if our weapons don't get there in time, you will."

The blonde man sighed. "Alright… just be careful out there."

"We will, Dad. Besides, We can't carry our weapons around without being suspicious, but that doesn't mean you can't. You two are professional hunters that just got back from a mission. Nobody should bat an eye if you have your weapons on you. You will already be good to go."

"Right..." The thought of having to be fast enough to save his daughter made Taiyang very nervous. But he would trust her for now, as long as things didn't get out of hand.

"Now, once everyone is in place, we need to check to see who is Mistrae. Naturally, the fastest way would be to cut everyone so that they would bleed, but we can't really do that."

Ozpin pulled his coffee cup away from his face and sat it on his desk. "I believe I have a solution to that problem. Do not worry about that part of your plan. Although, it only affects the students. James, you will have to figure out how to handle the investigation of your men."

"Understood."

"Sweet." Ruby looked at the expectant faces of those around her. "I, um… I guess that's it. Is it… Is it good?"

Qrow ruffled the young girl's hair. "I would be lying if I said I didn't have my doubts about some things, but it's nothing you could help. Besides, I don't see anyone else coming up with a better plan."

Ruby let out a sigh of relief and relaxed her shoulders. "Okay… So, what now?"

Ozpin sat down in his chair and placed his hands on his desk. "Now, we wait."

Weiss tugged on the bottom of Ruby's shirt. "Come on, let's head back to the dorm. It looks like we've got out work cut out for us."

"Yeah. I guess you're right."

Ruby and Weiss began to make their way towards Ozpin's door and were met by the other half of Team RWBY. Yang was grinning and scooped her sister up in a hug. "I'm so proud of you! You're such a great leader!"

Ruby struggled against her sister's embrace. "Y-Yang… can't breathe..."

"Sorry." Yang sat the young girl down and smiled at her. "I couldn't help it."

Blake placed a hand on Ruby's shoulder. "She's right, though. We're all proud of you."

"Well… thanks, you guys."

Taiyang walked over and opened the door. "Ruby, you've grown up so much. I wish…" Taiyang's eyes wandered for a bit, then returned to his daughter. "I'm sorry I couldn't be around more while you were growing up."

"Don't worry about that, Dad. I know it's not your fault."

"That doesn't mean I don't regret not being around more." The blonde man threw an arm around Ruby's shoulders and hugged her from the side, then grabbed yang and pulled her closer to him. "I love you girls."

"We love you too"

The hunter kissed them on their foreheads, then stepped aside. "Now, you girls go get some rest. You're gonna need it."

"Thanks. See you in the morning."

* * *

Ruby was shaken awake by Weiss the following morning. "Ruby, it's morning. You need to get up."

The scythe wielder rolled over on her side and faced away from the heiress. "… Ugh."

She could hear Weiss let out an aggravated sigh. "Ruby, don't be like that. We need to get ready for your plan. You're the one that made it, after all."

Ruby sat up and rubbed her eyes. "What time is it?"

"It's seven."

The younger girl yawned. "But class doesn't start until nine… Why did you wake me up?"

"Because, you dolt, we have things to do before class starts."

"Like what?"

Weiss sighed and crossed her arms. "We should make sure everything is in order and I think it would be wise to go to Ozpin's office and see if there has been any new developments with the Grimm."

A groan escaped from Ruby's mouth as she stretched her muscles. "Alright, fine. Just let me wake up a little more first."

"Well, try to hurry."

"Yeah, yeah." Ruby got out of the bed and slowly walked into the bathroom. "I'll be out in a minute." After a few minutes, Ruby stepped out of the bathroom, fully dressed. "Okay, I'm ready." Her eyes scanned the room and noticed that the other two beds in the dorm were empty. "Where are Blake and Yang?"

"They went down to the locker room already. They're probably waiting for us to get there."

"Okay, then let's go."

They walked out of the dorm and made their way to the locker room. While they were walking down a hallway, Ruby leaned into Weiss and placed her head on her shoulder. "I'm… so… sleepy."

The heiress rolled her eyes. "What time did you go to sleep last night? The last thing I remember you doing was reading something on your scroll."

"I… might have stayed up a little too late. I was just too nervous to go to sleep."

Weiss leaned her head on top of Ruby's and entwined her fingers with the younger girl's. "There's nothing to be nervous about. If we're careful, everything should be fine. I mean, I know these Grimm are strong and we've only fought them once, but they're only Grimm. This is what we were meant to do as huntresses."

"I guess you're right."

They reached the door to the locker room and Weiss stepped in front of Ruby and placed her hands on her shoulders. "Don't worry about today too much. I won't let anything bad happen to you, okay?"

"I'm not worried about me, I'm worried about everyone else."

"Just relax. You know as well as I do that everyone is perfectly capable of taking care of themselves."

Ruby nodded slowly. "Yeah… I just-"

Weiss cut her off with a kiss, which shocked her. "… What was that for?"

"It seemed like the only way to get you to stop worrying about today. Everything will be fine, I promise."

"Okay… thank you."

The heiress smiled and gestured towards the locker room. "You're welcome. Now let's get this whole thing set up."

They walked into the room and noticed Blake and Yang grabbing their weapons. "Hey, are you two ready?"

"Just about. We were waiting for you two to show up do we could put our weapons into your locker?"

Ruby raised an eyebrow. "Why my locker?"

"Well, you're the leader, after all. It kinda makes sense."

"Okay, fair enough." Ruby walked over to her locker and opened it. "Alright, put your weapons in. Weiss, go grab yours."

The heiress opened her locker and picked up Myrtenaster, then placed it in Ruby's locker with the other weapons. "Done. Now, let's go see Ozpin."

* * *

Team RWBY slowly walked into Ozpin's office and looked around the room for any other people. They had grown accustomed to seeing at least one other person in the room besides the headmaster. Seeing nobody, Ruby cleared her throat, which caused Ozpin to look up from his desk.

"Oh, hello, girls. Can I help you with something?"

Weiss walked closer to the desk. "We were just curious if the plan is still being put into motion today."

"Yes, it is. Actually, Qrow and Taiyang our patrolling around at the moment, then they will head to the area Miss Rose designated for them."

"Thank you, Professor."

Ruby stepped forward until she was next to Weiss. "Um… professor Ozpin, can I ask you something?"

"Certainly."

"How are you going to get all of the students in the main hall?"

"I plan to make a simple announcement to gather the entire student body together. Why do you ask?"

The young girl shrugged. "I was just curious. I'm just… nervous, I guess."

Ozpin sat up straight in his chair and brought his coffee cup to his mouth. "Well, that's understandable. What you have been tasked with is very important. Having a few jitters is completely normal."

"What if… something goes wrong? It would be my fault."

"If something does happen, it will have nothing to do with your plan." Ozpin leaned onto his desk. "Ruby, not only am I your headmaster, I am also a professional hunter, which is something I have been for a very, very long time. If I thought your plan was flawed, I would have spoken up last night. There is nothing to worry about."

Weiss softly nudged Ruby in her side. "Told you."

The room grew silent, then Ruby spoke up. "Well, I guess we're just waiting around for the right time now, huh?"

"So it would seem."

"In that case, we'll get out of your hair. Thanks, professor."

The headmaster nodded and smiled. "You're welcome."

Team RWBY made their way out of the office and down the hall. As they turned a corner, they bumped into Taiyang and Qrow. "Oh, hey, Dad. What are you doing?"

"Ruby, you and the other girls come with us to Ozpin's office."

"What? Why? We were just leaving from there."

"We just had a little chat with Ironwood. Something… unexpected happened and he's gathering his soldiers together right now. The plan needs to happen sooner than we thought."

Ruby's eyes widened. "So… that means..."

"Yeah, it's time to start your plan."

* * *

 **Okay, I might as well get this out of the way... I know the chapter is almost an entire day late and I know it's a bit shorter than normal, and I'm sorry.**

 **I really didn't have much time to write this week. I probably could have managed to write it in time if I really pressured myself, but it would have been rushed and sloppy, which is something that I don't think is fair to all of you. I hope y'all aren't too mad at me. I really am sorry. I'll do my best to make next weeks chapter extra long to compensate for this.**

 **Now, since that's out of the way, it's time to do a selfish plug of another story. My first one-shot is up! It's been up for a few days, but I couldn't really mention it until I posted another chapter in this, so... yeah.**

 **If you feel like reading something on the sadder side, go give it a read and leave a review if you want.**

 **Anyway, Once again, I'm really sorry about this chapter being short and slightly delayed. Next week will be better. See you guys then.**

 **:D**


	35. Attack

"Greetings, students. I suppose you're wondering why I have gathered you all here. Recently, there has been a discovery regarding the outlying lands of our kingdom."

Ozpin had finally managed to gather the entire student body into the main hall and was simply buying time for everyone else. He was giving a speech, with Glynda and several other professors by his side.

"This new information has opened up several opportunities for missions in the villages nearby for first years, fourth years and everything in between."

Team RWBY was standing at the back of the group of people. Ruby cleared her throat and gestured towards the door. "Guys, let's go. I don't want to just sit around and wait here too long." Her team nodded in agreement, then slowly began to back out of the room. Withing moments, they were standing outside. Once they were sure no one had noticed them, they darted around the side of the building and headed towards the courtyard.

Ruby stopped near a fountain and pulled out her scroll. "Okay, I'm calling our weapons." She pointed her scroll towards the grass and pushed a sequence of buttons. A few seconds passed, then one locker firmly planted itself in the ground in front of them. The door opened and revealed their weapons. They quickly armed themselves, the Ruby faced her teammates. "Alright, let's go make sure nobody decided to skip out on Professor Ozpin's speech."

"Right."

The group quickly made their way towards the dorms and split up upon arriving. "Just poke your heads in any closed doors to make sure they're empty." After a few minutes of searching, Ruby motioned for everyone to come close to her and they gathered around her. "Okay, I don't see anyone here. Let's go meet up with my Dad and Uncle Qrow."

The walked away from the dorms and towards the room that held the group of hunters. Along the way, they kept their eyes open to look for any students they might see on their way.

Weiss walked forward slightly and grabbed Ruby's hand. "Hey, are you okay? You seem really stressed out."

She nodded. "Yeah, I'm okay. It's just… this is _my_ plan. If something goes wrong, it would be because of me. I've never had to make a plan for something like this before."

"You heard Ozpin. It wouldn't be your fault."

"I remember, but… that doesn't really make me feel better."

Weiss grabbed Ruby's hand in her own and squeezed slightly. "Just relax. Nothing bad has happened yet and even if something bad _does_ happen, we have quite a few huntsman and huntresses here that are more than capable of containing a situation like this."

The younger girl sighed. "I guess you're right."

The look of worry didn't leave Ruby's face and Weiss noticed. "I think I know something that will make you feel better."

"And what's that?"

"If we make it through this, I will..." The heiress turned around and looked at Yang as Blake and a small blush appeared on her face. She leaned forward and whispered in Ruby's ear quiet enough that the other two girls couldn't hear.

Ruby's eyes widened and she turned a shade of red that rivaled her cape. "W-Wha… you… y-you mean..."

Weiss smiled and leaned back and stared straight ahead to avoid making eye contact with Ruby. "You heard me."

Ruby smiled and kissed Weiss on the cheek. "That did make me feel better."

Yang jogged forward and threw her arms around the couple. "Hey, what're you two talking about?"

"N-Nothing! Don't worry about it."

The blonde raised an eyebrow and leaned closer to Weiss. "Is that right?"

Weiss shook out of Yang's hold. "Yes."

Yang laughed. "Say what you want, but the red on your faces says otherwise."

Ruby rolled her eyes. "Yang, just drop it, okay?"

"Alright, alright, I get it."

They walked forward for a few more seconds before Yang noticed Blake lagging behind the rest of the group. "Hey, you guys keep going. I'll catch up in a second. She turned around and walked over to her. "Hey, you okay?"

Blake nodded slowly, but her eyes constantly darted from side to side. "I'm fine. I'm just… listening."

"What do you mean?"

"I'm keeping an ear out for anything that sounds out of place, but my bow is giving me trouble." The faunus' eyes trailed upwards as she wiggled her cat ears beneathe her black bow. "It muffles all of the sound. It's almost like a constant scratching in my head whenever the bow moves. Normally, it doesn't bother me, but it's annoying today, considering everything we need to be ready for."

Yang threw her arm around her and tugged on the bow playfully. "Why don't you just take it off? It's just us here. Everyone else is at that assembly in the main hall."

Blake hung her head. "I don't think that's a good idea."

"Come on. You look better without the bow, anyway."

"… What?"

"N-Nevermind." Yang withdrew her arm from Blake and dropped it to her side as a light shade of red covered her face. "Let's just… catch up with Ruby and Weiss." She grabbed Blake's hand and began to pull her in the direction of the other half of their team.

* * *

As Ozpin was giving his speech, Glynda's scroll began to go off. She stepped to the side and held it up to her ear. "James?"

" _ **Glynda, it's time. I am about to start the training exercise and investigate my soldiers."**_

"Very well. I will inform the others." She put her scroll away and stepped towards Ozpin. He leaned away from the microphone so Glynda's voice wouldn't be heard by the students. "What is it?"

"Professor Ozpin, the mission is now underway."

The headmaster nodded. "Understood."

The blonde woman stepped back until she was next to the other professors. She leaned over to professor Oobleck and whispered in his ear. The green-haired man nodded, then quickly, but quietly, walked off the small stage.

Ozpin returned to his microphone and leaned down. "As I was saying, at the end of the day, we will assign missions to each team. Second-year teams will have the top priority, as they have enough experience to embark on a mission on their own, but still have opportunities to learn many things."

A student towards the back of the room raised his hand. Ozpin noticed and acknowledged him. "Yes?"

"What kind of discovery would open up so many missions? What was found?"

The headmaster sipped his coffee, then cleared his throat. "That… is something I can't quite discuss yet. It is currently under Atlas investigation, which is why there have been so many soldiers on campus as of late. Rest assured, it is nothing dangerous."

Ozpin's eyes scanned the crowd for Team RWBY. Upon noticing their absence, he took another sip of coffee and continued his speech. "Now, on to what types of missions have opened up..."

* * *

"Hey, dad."

Taiyang turned around to see Team RWBY walking towards him and Qrow. "Hey, girls. What are you doing here?"

"We managed to slip out of Ozpin's speech early and checked the dorms for students. We didn't find anyone, so we decided to head over here until things kick off."

Taiyang scratched the back of his head and yawned. "Well, we actually just got a call from Ironwood. He said he is about to start his little 'training exercise'."

"Oh, so I guess we got here just in time, then."

The blonde man nodded. "Looks that way."

The team sat down on some nearby benches and breathed slowly. The silence that had slowly built was broken by Yang. "So, what are we waiting for?"

Qrow grunted out a reply as he stretched. "We're waiting for James to give us the signal. Everything is on him right now, since he has the Mistrae right in front of him. I just wish he would hurry up."

Taiyang rolled his eyes. "Come on, Qrow. You know it's not easy to just randomly decide which one is the Grimm. He mentioned that it could even be two."

"Yeah, yeah, I know. I'm just tired of sitting around doing nothing."

"Well, if you think we c-" The blonde man was interrupted by his scroll ringing. He held it up to his ear and answered. "Hey, we were starting to wonder if y-"

"NOW!"

"… What?"

The next thing they heard was several gunshots near Ironwood's location. Taiyang stood up and put his scroll on speaker. "James, what's going on!"

"Just get over here! I can't ho-" The call went silent.

"James? James! Talk to me!" Taiyang looked at his scroll as the words 'Call Lost' flashed over and over again. He placed his scroll in his pocket and ran towards the room's exit. "Let's go!"

Qrow took a swig from his flask, then quickly followed the blonde man. "Well, it's about time. Come on, girls."

Team RWBY stood up and nodded. The quickly chased after the two huntsmen, but Ruby turned and stopped Yang. She looked back towards Weiss and Blake who were giving her curious glances. "You two go on ahead. I'll catch up before you know it."

The pair then turned and exited the room as Ruby faced her sister. "Ruby, what are you doing?"

"Yang, go back to the main hall and get the other professors. We might need them."

"What? No! I can help you guys fight!"

She attempted to make her way past Ruby, but the younger girl stopped her. "Listen, you're in no condition to fight. You're still in bad shape from the fight in that city. I know you're struggling with everything going on with you. I know you're in pain, I see it every day. Please… stay out of this."

"Ruby, that's ridiculous! I refuse to stay here while the rest of you are out there, fighting to defend the entire school!"

Tears began to form in the corners of Ruby's eyes. "Yang, I don't want to ask this of you. I want you out there with all of us. It feels wrong to fight with the team and have you not be there, but it's better this way. Your aura isn't completely healed yet. It wouldn't be safe."

"Ruby, I ca-"

Ruby placed her hands on her sister's shoulders, closed her eyes and hung her head. "Yang… please… for me."

The blonde's expression softened and she pulled out of her sister's grasp. "… Fine. But if you guys get into trouble out there, I'm coming to help."

"Thank you." Ruby hugged her sister, then ran towards the sounds of combat.

Yang stood in the empty room and looked at her hands. _"I'm so useless… They need me out there and I can't even do anything to help them. Who am I kidding, after my daily training I can barely even walk."_ She formed a fist and punched a nearby wall, which created a small hole as the sound echoed throughout the room. "Damn it!"

She composed herself quickly and took a deep breath. _"I guess I should listen to Ruby and go tell the other teachers."_ She made her way towards the opposite end of the room that her team had exited through, then glanced one last time towards the exit. _"You guys better stay safe."_ She then ran through the entrance and headed toward the main hall.

* * *

The two huntsman and the remaining members of Team RWBY had run out of the building and were now standing in an open field. In the distance, they could see small explosions and, what appeared to be, the entire team of soldiers attacking Ironwood, who seemed to be fighting a losing battle.

Ruby gripped her weapon as it transformed into its scythe form. "What's going on over there?! Why is the whole army attacking him?!"

"Well, there's only one way to find out." Qrow grabbed his sword and ran towards the fight, followed quickly by the rest of the group.

As they got closer, they realized just how dire the situation was. Ironwood had been fighting the force of his entire fleet and was currently surrounded. Qrow jumped high into the air and landed beside him. He transformed his sword into its scythe form, then made several quick slashes at the group of soldiers. The sudden act of aggression caused them to back off slightly. "James, what happened here?"

"All of them..."

Qrow looked at the general. The left half of his body was bleeding in several spots and he was definitely approaching his limit. "What do you mean?"

"They were all Grimm."

"… What?" Qrow quickly dodged a strike from one of the Mistrae and swung his scythe, aiming for the Grimm's neck. The creature's head flew high into the air and landed right next to Ironwood. "How are they all Grimm? I thought it was only one or two?"

"I don't know. I to-" The general was cut off as another Grimm came in for an attack – one that Qrow didn't notice. The Grimm, which was disguised as a soldier, changed into its original form and lunged directly towards Ironwood's neck. However, before anyone could react, the creature let out a shriek of pain and fell to the ground. Qrow studied the body as it disappeared and a wide, short blade was stuck in the ground where it landed. Attached to the blade was a long, narrow handle and the entire weapon seemed to radiate heat.

Qrow looked at the weapon and smirked. "I was wondering when you were going to jump in here with us, Tai."

Taiyang pulled his weapon out of the ground and threw it over his shoulders. "It's not my fault you're faster than me. If you wouldn't have just ran up here as fast as you could then we would have been able to surprise a few more of them."

The dark-haired hunter chuckled. " You took off before I did. You're just slow. Looks like your age is getting to you."

The three men looked at the large group of Mistrae in front of them. They weren't attacking. After a few seconds, the "soldiers" slowly backed away until they were standing in a line. They smirked and raised their guns.

Taiyang stood in front of Qrow and Ironwood. The soldiers fired, but didn't hit their target. The blonde man stabbed his polearm into the ground and a large, yellow circle appeared in front of the group of hunters. The bullets sped forward and hit the circle, then ricocheted back towards the Grimm.

Taiyang grunted and crouched down. Qrow held out his hand and helped the blonde man up. "Thanks. It's been awhile since I've done that."

The sound of guns clicking pulled the trio's attention towards the group of Mistrae.

"They're getting ready to fire again!"

Shots rang out, but once again, missed their mark. "Dad, be more careful."

Taiyang looked up and saw Ruby staring back at him with a smile. "You picked the perfect time to jump in."

"Well, don't thank me, that was all Weiss."

The heiress was staring at the group of Grimm while a light blue barrier sat in front of her. "I'm just glad we got here in time."

Qrow looked around and noticed that one of their group was missing. "Hey, where'd Yang go? She was just with us."

"She went to let the other teachers know what we were doing. I asked her to."

"What? Why?"

"I don't want her getting hurt. Last time we fought these things..." Ruby shook her head. "I just don't want something bad to happen to her."

"Well, I can't argue with you there. I would rather her not get hurt, either."

The group looked ahead as the group of soldiers snarled at the hunters. Weiss backed up until she was standing next to Ruby. She then looked at Taiyang. "So, how did this happen? Why are they all Grimm? HOW are they all Grimm?"

"That's a question for the general." Taiyang turned to Ironwood. "James?"

The general shook his head. "I don't know. I didn't exactly have a chance to ask them."

Qrow gripped his weapon tightly and strode forward to the front of the group. "Well, here's our chance." He stabbed the handle of his scythe into the ground and locked eyes with a Mistrae in the middle of the group of Grimm. "What are you doing here?"

The Grimm growled and walked forward slightly. It bared it's teeth, then slowly morphed into Qrow. "What are you doing here?"

The hunter glared. "Don't mock me. I'm askin' you a question, you bastard."

"Don't mock me. I'm askin' you a question, you bastard."

Qrow pulled his scythe out of the ground. "Fine, we'll do this the hard way."

The creature's eyes glowed a bright red. "That's a bad way to get information."

The hunter's eyes widened in shock. "So, you can talk."

The Grimm said nothing.

"How did you manage to turn into an entire military?"

"If I were you, I wouldn't worry about that." A grin worked its way onto the creature's face.

"What are you talking about?"

"We've been here for plenty of time. What makes you think we are _only_ in the military?"

Qrow's face fell. "Ruby, take your team and get to the main hall!"

"Got it!"

Ruby, Blake, and Weiss started to run back towards the school, but as they did so, several Grimm began to raise their weapons. Before they could fire, Taiyang jumped in front of the girls and blocked any attack that threatened to hit them. "You're gonna have to try harder than that." He glanced back and watched the three members of Team RWBY until they disappeared behind the large doors that led inside the school.

Qrow, Taiyang, and Ironwood stood side by side and glared at the Mistrae in front of them. "So, you guys ready?"

The three hunters readied themselves and took their fighting stances as the Grimm lunged. "Bring it on."

* * *

Ruby, Blake, and Weiss sprinted through the halls of the school. They turned down one of the many hallways and arrived at a large set of doors which led to the main hall. Blake listened closely, then caught her teammate's attention. "Guys, stop."

"Why?"

The faunus held up her hand. "Listen."

They craned their necks towards the main hall and heard Ozpin continuing his speech as if nothing had happened. Blake let out a sigh of relief and smiled. "I think we're good for now. It sounds like everything is going alright in there."

"Good." Ruby walked forward and gently pushed open the doors.

The students were still there, listening to the speech. Ozpin noticed the four girls enter and simply nodded in their direction. He then turned behind him and said something to Glynda that no one else could hear. The woman then nodded and walked off stage and out of the room.

Ruby started to walk towards the stage, but was stopped by Yang. "Ruby, what are you doing here? What happened to Dad and Qrow?"

"They're fine for now. We came to talk to the other teachers."

"Did something happen?"

"Uh… yeah. Where did professor Goodwitch go?"

Yang pointed towards one of the room's many exits. "She's been in and out of that door a few times. It leads into her office."

"Well, we need to talk to her."

Yang began walking towards the door and gestured for her teammates to follow her. "Alright, come on." They made their way over to the door and opened it. It opened as if there was a force pulling it from the other side.

As the door opened, Glynda Goodwitch stared at the team surprisingly. "Oh, what are you girls doing here?"

Ruby stepped forward. "We need to talk to you, professor."

"About what, exactly?"

Ruby and the rest of her team stepped over the threshold that separated the room from the main hall and shut the door. "The Grimm mentioned that they might be more of them then we thought. And some of them could be in the main hall. My dad sent us over here to let you know."

Glynda's eyes widened. "The Mistrae, they… said this themselves?"

Ruby nodded. "Yeah."

"That is very troubling. I will inform Ozpin. You need to get back to your father."

"Yes, ma'am."

Ruby, Blake, and Weiss turned and started to make their way back to the other three hunters currently fighting the Mistrae. When they were out of sight, Glynda turned to Yang. "Yang, why didn't you go with them?"

The blonde hung her head. "Ruby asked me to stay here since my aura isn't up to par yet."

"I see. That is understandable and, probably, the best course of action." Glynda stepped back into the main hall. "Feel free to wait in my office , or the main hall if you wish."

"Thank you, Professor."

The blonde woman smiled. "You're welcome." She shut the door and walked back up onto the stage. She looked at the faces of the students in front of her. Her mind filled with thoughts of how some of them, somehow, could actually be Mistrae, and there was no way to tell without causing mass panic.

She breathed deeply and closed her eyes. _"This isn't good."_

* * *

 **Hey, guys, I'm still alive! The story isn't dead either! I know I've been away for a while, so let me give you guys an explanation.**

 **The week after I posted the previous chapter in this story, I ended up leaving town for three days. Sadly, that meant I couldn't write. It sucked, but I thought, "This isn't the end of the world, I'll just post the next chapter the next week." THEN, that week came and I still hadn't written anything.**

 **I got hit super hard by Life for these past three or so weeks. so my writing has been suffering. I know you guys have been waiting for the next chapter, and I'm sorry I made you all wait. I hope you didn't lose your interest in the story.**

 **I also apologize if the chapter is somewhat... lackluster. It was written over a three-week period since I was having trouble finding time to write. Honestly, I'll probably come back and refine it at some point, but you guys have waited long enough. I think it turned out alright, though.**

 **Anyway, I now have all of my issues sorted out, so I should be able to post regularly until this story is finished. That is, if League of Legends doesn't suck me back in. Pre-Season is coming up, after all...**

 **Well, that's all from me. Sorry that you guys had to wait so long. I hope you liked this chapter and I'll see y'all in the next one!**

 **:D**


	36. Divide

"It's like there's no end to these damn things!"

"What's wrong? Are you gettin' tired, old man?"

Qrow, Taiyang, and Ironwood were still fighting the group of Mistrae. It had been a while since Team RWBY had left to go talk to the other teachers. The hunters were outnumbered and the battle was beginning to take its toll on them.

Taiyang turned to Qrow and jumped close to him, striking down an attacking Grimm in the process. "Hey, you're just as old as I am, you know."

The dark-haired man chuckled. "Well, at least you're keeping up. It's good to see that the teaching life hasn't made you lose your step."

"Just because I'm a teacher doesn't mean I forgot how to fight."

Ironwood stepped between the two hunters. "Save your banter until after we've dealt with these things." He raised his gun and shot two quickly approaching Mistrae.

There were countless Grimm in front of them. The hunters looked on and readied their weapons. Qrow then leaned over to the two hunters and his voice fell to a whisper. "Honestly… I'm not sure just how long we can keep this up. After all, there's only three of u-"

The hunter was cut off as a group of Mistrae charged at them. They turned to fight, but as they took their battle stances, a spiral of fire appeared in front of them and engulfed the approaching Grimm. The trio turned away from the immense heat and shielded their faces.

After a few seconds, they heard footsteps behind them. They quickly spun around, ready to fight, but were relieved as they saw familiar, spiky, green hair, which belonged to a tall man holding a thermos. "Well, it appears that you three could use some assistance."

* * *

"Guys, hurry up! We need to get back out there!"

Ruby, Weiss, and Blake were making their way back to the battle between the Mistrae. When they were about halfway there, Blake stopped. "Guys… you go on ahead. I'm going to head back to the main hall."

"Why?"

Blake grabbed her arm nervously. "I don't want to leave Yang by herself. If there _are_ Mistrae back there, I want to make sure she's safe."

"There are plenty of teachers back there if things get bad. I'm sure she'll be fine."

"I know, but…" The faunus sighed and a blush crept onto her face. "I just want to be there myself."

Ruby shook her head. "Okay… When you find her, stay with her. When everything has calmed down, come ge-" Ruby was cut off as a loud boom came from the direction of the main hall.

The girls started to run in that direction, when another boom came from the direction of Taiyang, Qrow and Ironwood. The three girls stared at each other with horrified expressions. They quickly composed themselves, then split up. Ruby and Weiss headed towards the direction of the three huntsmen, while Blake ran towards the main hall.

Blake made use of her semblance as best she could, using the clones to propel her forward whenever possible. Less than a minute passed and she could see the entrance to the main hall. As she approached the doors and opened them, her face fell.

The room was completely destroyed. It was empty and there were scorch marks, piles of rubble and craters littered throughout the room. Blake walked into the area and her eyes began to wander around the room. _"… What happened in here?"_ Her eyes widened as she suddenly remembered something. Yang.

She darted around the room and looked for the blonde. She had no idea where anyone else was, or if the others were doing alright. Right now, she was focused on finding her partner. After a few moments, the sounds movement behind her drew Blake's attention.

Standing before her was a shocked, beaten, blonde girl with tears in her eyes. "… B-Blake..."

The faunus' eyes widened and her mouth fell open. "… Yang?"

"Blake… I- I don't..."

The dark-haired girl ran over to her partner and placed her hands on her shoulders. "Yang, what happened? Are you hurt?"

Yang shook her head. "I'm okay. They were disguised as the students… The Mistrae."

"I Know." Blake took another glance around the area. "What happened? Where are the teachers?"

The blonde looked around the room with a shocked expression on her face. "I don't know. I was in Goodwitch's office when it started. When I came out here, everyone was gone."

Blake sighed. "Okay, well, let's go find them." She grabbed Yang's hand and began to pull her toward the entrance of the room.

As they reached the doors, Yang spoke up. "Wait, where are the others?"

"They're-" Suddenly a thought popped into Blake's head. _"It's extremely doubtful… but I need to make sure that this is really Yang."_ She took a breath, then spoke. "Ruby and Weiss are fighting with Taiyang, Qrow, Ironwood… and Zwei."

Yang smiled. "That's good. I'm glad they're okay."

The faunus nodded. "You and me both. Zwei was looking a little worse for wear, but his semblance is keeping him in check."

"Well, let's hope that he can pull through. If the other's are there with him, he should be alright."

Blake's eyes widened and she turned around to face away from Yang. "Yeah… I think he'll be okay." She quickly gripped her weapon and spun around, striking at Yang."

The blonde jumped backward. "What are you doing?"

Blake's gaze narrowed. "The real Yang would know that Zwei is a _dog_."

Blake stared into the eyes of her partner as they slowly turned red. "Damn it. I guess this can't be helped." The imposter walked forward and readied its copy of Ember Celica. "You could have made this a whole lot easier."

"Where. Is. My. Partner."

Her question was met with a smirk. "What are you talking about? I'm right here."

The faunus' gaze narrowed. "I guess I'll just force the answer out of you." She then raised Gambol Shroud and charged forward.

* * *

"Dad!"

Taiyang turned to see Ruby and Weiss running up to them. "Ruby, where's Blake?"

The two girls ran up to the blonde man. "She went back to the main hall. When we were heading back this way, we heard an explosion in that direction. Blake went that way when we came back here. We heard an explosion here, too. Is everything alright?"

"Yeah, for now. The explosion you heard was probably Ironwood. He wiped out a good chunk of those things a minute ago with a pretty big attack."

The conversation was cut short as several howls rang out through the area. Ruby looked in front of her and noticed that several Mistrae had reverted back to their normal form. "They changed?"

"Yeah. They also haven't been fighting as hard as they were before." Taiyang pointed behind his back with his thumb. "Once Oobleck showed up they started to back off a little bit. I don't know if that's a good sign or a bad one."

Ruby looked at the green-haired man behind Taiyang. "Oobleck? I didn't know he was here."

"Yeah he showed up when you gi-" The hunter was interrupted as a Mistrae lunged at him. Taiyang quickly ducked, then threw an elbow into the creatures stomach while it was overhead, which caused the Grimm to howl in pain. It landed hard on the ground, at which point taiyang picked it up by its long tail and spun it around his head, before throwing it back into another group of Mistrae.

Ruby and Weiss were dumbfounded. "Did you just…" Ruby shook her head. "Nevermind. Where do you need us?"

The blonde man shrugged. "I'm not sure we do need you, actually. The fact that they're backing off a little has me relieved but concerned at the same time. Things aren't dire at the moment, soI think you two should go meet back up with Blake and find Yang."

Ruby rolled her eyes and sighed. "So… _back_ into the school… again."

Taiyang chuckled and ruffled Ruby's hair. "Well, look at it this way. You're huntresses defending your school from attack. You've been training for something like this. You have a mission and it is up to you to carry it out."

Weiss nodded. "Ruby, he's right. Let's go."

"Right." She looked back at her father once more, who simply smiled. "Be safe, Dad." With that said, she and Weiss made their way back towards the school. As they reached the entrance, Ruby glanced one last time at the group of people fighting outside, then headed into the school.

The pair sprinted through the school until they reached the main hall. Upon reaching the open doors which led inside the room, they stopped. Ruby's mouth fell open and she brought her hand up as she took in a sharp breath of air. "Oh my god..."

Slowly, they walked into the room and took everything in. Ruby stepped into the middle of the room and looked around, then turned to Weiss. "We need to find Blake and Yang. Now."

"Ruby, we have no idea where they could be."

"Weiss, there were teachers here; professional hunters and huntresses. If they're gone, what do you think happened to Blake and Yang?! Yang can't even fight right now!" Ruby walked over to a pile of debris and started to rummage through it.

Weiss walked over to her and placed an arm on her shoulder. "Ruby, what are you doing?"

Ruby looked up at her with tears in her eyes. "Yang could be under here! Or Blake! What if there's another student buried under here?!"

"Ruby… the room is empty. If anyone was…" Weiss took a deep breath before she continued. " If anyone was… dead… there would be, you know, bodies around. There wouldn't be only buried ones." The heiress grabbed Ruby's hands in her own. "Besides, if they're alive, they could be somewhere else and they could be in trouble. It would be better to look for them elsewhere, first."

Ruby sighed and stood up. "… I guess you're right. I just…" Ruby shook her head and wiped her eyes. "Let's just go find them."

The older girl helped Ruby up, the looked toward the main entrance of the school. "Where should we start?"

"We could start at the entrance and go from there, or check the dorms. Blake was here. If things got bad, she might have taken Yang to our room."

"Well, I would say we could split up and check both areas, but I don't think that would be a very good idea right now."

Weiss nodded. "I have to agree."

"I guess we should check the dorms first."

The heiress gestured in front of her. "Alright, lead the way."

* * *

Yang sat up slowly. The first thing that she noticed was that she had an awful headache. She raised a hand and rubbed the back of her head, but felt something wet. She brought her hand in front of her face and slowly opened her eyes. _"What the hell..."_ Her hand was covered in blood. She looked at her other hand and noticed it was clean, for the most part. She then raised her other hand and touched the back of her head, then brought it forward. Blood again. _"Crap… that's not good."_

The blonde slowly stood up and took in her surroundings. The room she was in was in shambles. _"Whoa… what happened here? The last thing I remember was being in Goodwitch's office. Then..."_ Her eyes widened as several memories came flooding back to her. She studied the room closely and quickly realized she was _still_ in the office.

She made her way to the door and attempted to push it open, but was met with resistance. It was if something was on the other side of the door, keeping it shut. She planted her feet firmly on the ground and braced herself. With a strong push, the door comes open.

After Yang stepped out of Goodwitch's office, she walked down a short hallway and immediately noticed the state of the main hall. _"Holy hell…"_

As she walked further into the room, Yang heard movement behind her. She quickly spun around and took her fighting stance, though she wasn't sure how she would do in combat at the moment. All thoughts of fighting quickly subsided as she looked on in front of her. "… Blake?"

The faunus approached her slowly. "Yang? What are you doing here? What happened?"

Yang shook her head. "I don't know. The last thing I remember is an explosion, then I woke up in Goodwitch's office with a pretty big wound on the back of my head. Speaking of which..." Yang turned around and pulled her hair to the side. "How bad is it?"

Blake looked at the wound and shrugged. "It's not too bad. Your aura should heal it."

"I don't know about that..."

"What do you mean?"

"You know my aura has been on the fritz ever since I fought that Mistrae."

"Right…" Blake walked closer to Yang and began to examine her head again. "It will be alright. It's not severe. It looks like you just took a bad hit."

Yang sighed. "Well, that's something, I guess. So, what are you doing here? Where's Weiss and Ruby?"

"They are helping Taiyang and the others fight."

"Still? We need to get out there! We need to go help!" Yang started to walk in the direction of her sister, but Blake stopped her.

The faunus pulled her closer in order to keep her from pulling away. "You can't go out there. You're in no condition to fight."

The blonde rolled her eyes and groaned. "You sound just like Ruby."

"Look, go up to the dorm room and stay safe. I will go back to Weiss and Ruby and help them. If, somehow, you find out anything at all, come tell us, but be careful about it."

Yang hung her head, then turned towards the dorms. "Fine. If something happens to any of you, come tell me."

Blake nodded, then ran towards the group fighting outside, while Yang trudged to Team RWBY's dorm. As she walked down on of the many halls throughout the schools, she kept her eyes and ears open, ready to fight at a moments notice.

A few minutes passed and she made it to the dorm without any problems. She reached a hand out to open the door, but stopped herself when she heard voices on the other side. She leaned forward, pressed an ear to the door, and listened.

"They're not here. What now?"

"Obviously, we should go look somewhere else."

"Yeah, you're right. But I want to go check on everyone else real quick. I know Dad can handle himself, but he said the Mistrae were acting weird. I want to make sure everything is still going alright. Besides, if things are okay, maybe he can help look for Yang."

"Good point. Let's go."

Yang opened the door and poked her head around the side of it. "You won't have to look very far."

Ruby's eyes widened as she ran over to her sister. "Yang!" She threw her arms around her sister's neck and hugged her tightly. "I'm so glad you're okay!" She then pulled back and noticed a small amount of blood on her arms. "Are you bleeding?"

Yang nodded. "Yeah, I took a pretty nasty hit, I guess. I woke up in Goodwitch's office and had a pretty big gash on my head. I ran into Blake earlier and she took a look at it and said that it wasn't that bad."

Weiss raised an eyebrow. "You ran into Blake?"

"Yup."

"What did she say?"

"She said you two were fighting outside with everybody. She told me to come up to the dorm."

Ruby looked at Weiss with a concerned expression. "Weiss, do you think..."

The heiress shrugged. "It is possible."

"What are you two talking about?"

Ruby sighed and turned to her sister. "We told Blake to stay with you whenever she found you. Did she say anything else?"

The blonde shook her head. "Not really. She just told me to come up here and then she headed to where you guys were at."

"That doesn't sound good. It's possible that she forgot what Ruby told her. We were interrupted shortly after that, but it's also unlikely. I would say that you could be a Grimm and you're simply lying to us, but judging by the blood on you, I'm going to assume you're telling the truth."

"Of course I'm telling the truth. I'm just as likely one of those things as you two are."

Ruby crossed her arms. "To be fiar, how do you know we _aren't_ one of the Mistrae?"

Yang smiled. "I heard you talking about Dad before I walked in here. I don't think a Grimm would be too worried about things like that."

Weiss stepped forward. "Still, it is rather irresponsible of you to think that way." Weiss made a small cut on her arm with her sword, then looked at Ruby.

The younger girl rolled her eyes, then pulled a small knife out of her boot and made a cut on her arm. "There."

"You guys didn't need to do that."

Weiss shook her head. "It's better to be safe than sorry." Weiss looked at the two sisters in front of her. "The next time I see you, I WILL ask you to prove you're not a Grimm and I will do the same. If I do not act that way, then whoever you see is NOT me. Do you two understand?"

Ruby stepped forward. "Of course we do, but… you make it sound like you're leaving."

The heiress nodded. "That's because I am. There could be a Mistrae disguised as Blake out there, currently heading for your dad and the others. She could feed them false information about our situation and lure them into a trap. I need to make sure that doesn't happen."

Ruby firmly gripped Crescent Rose. "Then I'm coming with you."

"I know you want to do that, but Yang is still in no condition to fight. Someone needs to stay here and protect her, just in case something happens."

Ruby walked closer to Weiss. "But what if something happens to you out there? If the Blake out there really is a Mistrae, you would be in trouble, too."

"That's correct. But someone needs to get back out there and Yang can't stay here by herself."

Yang stepped forward. "it's fine, you guys, just go. I'll be alright on my own. I'll just stay up here."

"No. That won't work. Whichever Blake is out there knows where you're at. If that was a Grimm, someone needs to be here in case she comes back, and you can't really come out on the battle field in your state. You and Ruby stay here."

The scythe-wielder pulled Weiss into a tight embrace. "If you don't come back, I'm gonna be mad."

Weiss smiled. "Don't worry. I'll be back before you know it. Once I make sure our situation is understood by everyone, I'll come straight back here."

Ruby cradled the back of Weiss' head and pulled her into a passionate, but short kiss. She stared intensely into Weiss' eyes. "Be safe."

The heiress nodded. "You, as well." She then walked towards the dorm room's door and opened it, then stepped outside and looked one last time at the pair in the room, before shutting the door and making her way to Taiyang and the others.

* * *

Blake shot up quickly. Someone was shaking her and she had no idea who it was. The last thing that she remembered was being punched by a Grimm, so she was ready to fight. She jumped up and went to grab Gambol Shroud, only to find it missing.

The next thing she felt was a presence behind her and a pair of hands on her shoulders. "Blake, calm down."

The faunus' ears twitched as she registered the voice and spun around. "… Nora?"

"Yeah..." The redhead grabbed her arm nervously. "You were out of it for a while. How do you feel?"

Blake craned her neck, which caused it to pop several times. "I feel like I fought a Beringel without a weapon."

"That figures. Everyone here is in pretty bad shape." Nora turned around to face a large group of people behind her. "The teachers all made us come in here when those… _things_ attacked."

Blake took in her surroundings. They were in a large room with a low ceiling and several support beams were littered throughout the area. The floor appeared to be made out of some refined stone, but it had a thick layer of dust covering it. "Where are we?"

"It's under the main hall. Apparently, it's a secret room that acts like a bunker."

The faunus rubbed her forehead. "What happened to me, anyway? The last thing I remember is being punched by… Where's Yang? Is she here? Is she okay?"

Nora shook her head. "I don't know. No one saw her when everything started happening."

Blake sighed. "Well, that's not the news I was hoping for. Anyway, how did you find me?"

The faunus suddenly heard another voice behind her. "I saw you outside."

As she turned around, Blake realized who was talking. "Ren?"

"You were unconscious. I thought I saw Yang walking away from you, but it turned out to be one of those things, whatever they are. Once it saw me, it ran towards the back of the school. I brought you back here. I would have brought your weapon, too, but it was missing."

"Thank you." Blake stretched her shoulders and groaned. "Where are the teachers?"

"We… don't know. Once everyone pulls their self together, we're gonna go back out there." Nora leaned against a wall and slid down it until she was sitting down. "So, what are those things, anyway?" The redhead turned to the faunus in front of her. "Blake, do you have any idea?"

Blake sighed, sat down next to Nora and took a deep breath. "Listen closely… This might take a while."

* * *

 **Well, it looks like my whole 'stay on schedule' plan kinda fell through. I'm sorry about that, you guys. Honestly, I'm not sure I'll be able to upload as consistently as I have before. At least, not for awhile. But rest assured that nor more than two weeks will pass between chapters. Sometimes, it won't even be that long. I'll upload weekly when I can, but I'm not gonna make any promises just yet.**

 **Now, I also apologize for any grammatical issues in this chapter. I don't have the time to edit it right now, so sorry about that.**

 **So, my apologies aside, I hope you all enjoyed the chapter, and I'll see you in the next one.**

 **:D**


	37. Conquer

Taiyang, Qrow, Ironwood and Oobleck were slowly gaining ground on the Mistrae they had been tirelessly fighting. The Grimm's numbers were dwindling, and the hunters were getting a second wind. Taiyang stepped forward and stabbed his polearm into the ground. As he stared at the group of Grimm in front of him, something in the edge of his vision caught his attention. He turned and noticed a white figure in the distance.

"Taiyang!"

As he focused his gaze, the figure became familiar. "Weiss?"

The heiress ran up to the blonde, out of breath. "Has Blake been here?"

"What? No, I thought you said that she went back to the main hall?"

Weiss shook her head. "She did, but we haven't seen her since then." The heiress took a deep breath and continued. "We found Yang. She isn't in the best shape, but she'll be alright, and she gave us some information. There could be a Mistrae disguised as Blake around here somewhere."

The hunter's eyes widened. "What? How?"

"We haven't figured that out yet. Oh, one more thing." Weiss held up her arm to show the cut she had previously made in Team RWBY's dorm. "This is to prove I'm not a Grimm. I would like for you all to do the same."

"Of course." Taiyang turned to the group behind him. "You heard the girl, fellas." All the men quickly made small cuts on themselves, except for Ironwood, who merely opened a wound that his aura hadn't healed yet. "That good enough?"

"Yes. I will always ask anyone to do this as I see them. It's tedious I know, but it's-"

"Better to be safe than sorry, right?" Taiyang said with a smile.

Weiss replied with a simple nod. "Precisely. Well, I need to get back to the dorm room and check up on Yang and Ruby. If you see Blake, be careful. It might not really be her."

"Thanks for the info, Weiss. You'd better hurry back."

The heiress quickly turned and began to make her way back to the dorm, while Taiyang spun around and faced the group of hunters that had been fighting with him. "Speaking of information, what do ya say we try to get a little out of our friends here, yeah?"

Qrow pulled out his flask and took a small swig of its contents. "Sounds like a plan to me."

"Right then. Let's go." The group readied their weapons and advanced on the Mistrae.

* * *

"Whoa… that's a lot to take in. Just, uh… give me a minute."

"I understand." Blake had just finished explaining the seriousness of the situation to Team JNPR, who were understandably shocked by the new information.

The air in the area was growing stagnant, and Blake needed to get out. She was worried about her teammates. Somewhere, there was a Mistrae disguised as Yang, if it even _was_ still Yang, and she needed to make sure the others were safe.

She stood up and stretched. "Guys, I can't thank you enough for finding me, but I need to get back out there. One of those things is masquerading around as my partner."

Pyrrha placed her hand on Blake's shoulder. "Blake, you can't go out there without a weapon."

"You don't understand. One of those things is disguised as Yang and there are people out there that don't know that."

The redhead took a deep breath. "I _do_ understand. You're worried about your team. I would feel the same way, were I in your shoes, but you need to keep a level head. If you get caught by one of those things without a way to defend yourself, you're likely to get hurt… or worse."

At this point, Blake felt a hand on her other shoulder. She turned around and was greeted by Jaune. "If you're dead set on going out there, take this."

Blake looked down and noticed that Jaune's other arm had his sword in it. "J-Jaune, I can't take _your_ weapon. You'll need it."

The blonde boy shrugged and smiled. "It's not a big deal. It might be a while before we go back out there. Besides..." He scratched the back of his head and chuckled nervously. "I'm not that good in a fight, anyway. You would be able to get more use out of it than me."

The faunus slowly reached out and grabbed the weapon. "Jaune… thank you."

"Don't mention it. Just make sure you bring it back, okay? It's a bit of a family heirloom."

Blake nodded. "I'll be sure to take care of it."

"Please do."

Nora looked at Blake with a concerned look on her face. "Are you sure you want to go through with this?"

"Yes."

Nora sighed. "Alright. Just… be careful out there."

"I will. Now..." Blake looked around the room a few times before turning back to Team JNPR. "How do I get out of this place?"

Ren gestured towards a wall in the back of the room. "Back there. There is a hollow part of the wall that you can push out of the way. I'll show you." He began to make his way towards the wall while Blake followed quickly behind him.

They reached the wall and Ren placed his hand on part of it and planted his feet firmly on the ground, then pushed forward slightly. Dust began to fall as a part of the wall gave way and swung to the side.

"There you go."

"Thank you, Ren, for bringing me here and making sure I was safe."

"Don't mention it. You're my friend. I'm sure you would do the same for any of us."

Blake nodded. "Well, I'm going to find my teammates."

"Good luck."

Blake then turned and walked out of the small space and pushed the section of the wall back until the fact that it had once moved was barely noticeable. _"Yang wasn't here earlier. Where would she have gone?"_ Blake pondered the question for a few moments before a thought came to her. _"The dorms."_ She firmly gripped Crocea Mors, then headed for Team RWBY's dorm.

* * *

"Do you think they're okay?"

"Who?"

"Weiss and Blake!"

"Relax, Ruby. I'm sure they're fine. They can handle themselves."

Ruby and Yang were sitting on one of the beds in their dorm, waiting for Weiss to return. Yang was worried, but she understood her position. She was in no condition to fight and she hated it. She hated it because not only was she worried about her teammates, but Ruby was worried about them, too. But even though she had the means to protect herself, she had to play babysitter.

Yang clenched her fists. "Ruby… if you're that worried about them… go look for them."

"No way. I'm not gonna leave you here by yourself."

The blonde sighed. "Look, the entire time I've been here, the only thing that has come through that door was you and Weiss. I think I'll be fine."

"Yang, I'm not gonna leave you, not when you can't even fight."

Yang gritted her teeth."I know, but it's not like I chose to have this happen."

"Look, I know how you feel, but-"

The older sister stood up. "No, you don't know! You don't know what it's like to have trained so, so hard for something like this, then end up being completely useless." Tears began to form in Yang's eyes. "Ruby, I'm strong. I know that I am. I've had enough people tell me that. But right now I'm just… dead weight! I can't do anything except sit here!"

Ruby's face quickly matched her sister's as tears started to fall slowly down her face. She stood up and grabbed Yang's hand. "Yang..."

The blonde yanked her hand out of Ruby's grasp and turned to face her. "When that _thing_ dressed as Blake told me to come up here, I did it because it said I was in no condition to fight. I might have only _thought_ it was Blake at the time, but it was right. I hate it! My friends and family are risking their lives to protect the school and I'm stuck here in this fucking dorm!" Yang punched a nearby bookcase and drove her hand straight through it. She pulled her hand back and noticed it had a few large splinters in it and a small spot of blood. "Look at me… I'm useless."

Yang's eyes widened as she felt a pair of hands wrap themselves around her waist and a nose poke into her back. "Yang… don't ever say that again. Even if you can't fight right now… don't think that you're useless."

The blonde calmed down slightly as she felt the back of her jacket become wet, and quickly figured out that it was due to Ruby crying. "Ruby, what can I do?"

"You can stay here with me and wait for Weiss to come back."

"But I know that you're worried about Weiss. It's not fair to have you stay here."

Yang felt Ruby shake her head against her back. "I am worried about her. I love her, but I also love you. You're my sister and I'm going to protect you."

The blonde pulled out of her sister's embrace and placed her hands on her shoulders. "And… you're okay with that? With staying here?"

Ruby wiped her eyes with her sleeve and nodded. "Of course I am." She sniffled and cleared her throat. "Like you said; they can handle themselves. Besides, I would never forgive myself if something happened to you because I was gone."

Yang smiled and pulled Ruby into a hug. "Thank you, Ruby. I'm sorry for... exploding like that. I love you."

Ruby gladly returned the embrace. "I love you too, sis."

The sound of someone approaching the door drew the sister's attention quickly. "You hear that?"

"Yeah..."

"Yang, get behind me. Don't argue."

The blonde nodded and got behind her sister. As the footsteps grew closer, Ruby readied her weapon. She transformed it into its gun form and pointed it at the door. The doorknob turned and the door creaked open.

"Stop! Who's there?"

"Ruby, is that you?"

Ruby's trigger finger relaxed for a moment. "Blake?"

The door opened slowly and revealed her teammate. "I'm glad you're okay." Her eyes drifted behind Ruby and she noticed the elder of the two sisters. "Yang? Yang… I was so worried..."

She began to step forward, but the sound of Ruby pulling the bolt back on her rifle stopped her in her tracks. "Stop. Right. There."

"Ruby, it's me, I promise."

"Prove it."

Blake gently slid Crocea Mors across her arm as blood quickly came out of the fresh cut. "There. Now you."

"Right." Ruby pulled her small dagger out of her boot and made a small cut on her arm, then turned to her sister. "Yang?"

The blonde turned around and ran her hand over the wound on the back of her head. She turned back around and held up her hand, which now had a streak of red on it. "Is that good enough?"

Blake's eyes widened and she quickly walked over to yang. "You're hurt. What happened?"

"I don't really remember. I woke up in Goodwitch's office. The place was in pretty bad shape, so I guess something fell on my head and knocked me out. Whatever it was left me with a pretty nasty injury."

Blake spun Yang around and moved several strands of hair to look at the wound. "Does it hurt?"

"Not really. It did at first, but it's not that bad anymore. It's even stopped bleeding, for the most part."

"Well, that's _some_ good news." The faunus then faced Ruby. "Where is Weiss? I thought she was with you?"

"She was, but she went back to the others outside."

"Why?"

"Well, we had a few reasons to think that there was a Grimm disguised as you out there. Yang told us that she ran into you after she came out of the office."

Blake shook her head. "That didn't happen. This is the first time I've seen Yang since everything happened."

"That's what we were afraid of." Ruby's eyes drifted downward to the weapon in Blake's hand. "Wait a minute. Is that Jaune's sword?"

"Yes. I can explain. See, there is also one of those things that has Yang's appearance."

Ruby groaned. "You're kidding me."

"I fought it. It… It beat me. It didn't kill me for some reason, but it knocked me unconscious. When I came to, I was in a secret room underneath the main hall. That's where the other students are."

Ruby let out a long, drawn out breath. "At least everyone is safe."

"While I was there, I decided to go out and find one of you. I knew there was a copy of Yang out there, somewhere, and I didn't want any of you to get hurt. Pyrrha was skeptical about me leaving without a weapon, so Jaune let me borrow his."

"Oh. Well, where are they? Team JNPR, I mean."

"They're back in the safe room. I explained everything to them. They are pulling themselves together and keeping an eye on the other students."

"Okay, good to know."

Suddenly, the three girls heard more footsteps. Ruby and Blake instinctively stepped in front of Yang and readied their weapons. A few moments passed and white fabric appeared in Team RWBY's doorway.

"Weiss!" Ruby smiled and began to run forward, before Blake stopped her.

"Ruby, wait!"

Ruby stopped quickly. "Oh… right." The three girls in the dorm showed their wounds, at which point Weiss made another small cut on her arm to show that she was the real Weiss.

As soon as she saw the blood dripping down the heiress' arm, Ruby grinned and ran to her. "You're okay!" She scooped Weiss up in a hug and kissed her. "I was so worried about you!" She separated herself from Weiss, but left her hands on her shoulders. "Did you talk to my Dad?"

Weiss nodded. "I did. I informed him of our current situation. He said they will keep watch for any 'Blake' that they see, though it looks like they were finally winning their battle, so there's no telling how long they will be out there, anyway."

"Really, they're winning? That's great."

The heiress looked around Ruby to see her black-haired teammate. "Blake, are you alright?"

"I've been better, but I'll be alright, but there's something I need to ask you."

"Which is..."

"Did you see Yang while you were gone?"

Weiss shook her head. "No, I don't believe I did. Don't tell me-"

"Yes. There's one disguised as Yang, as well."

Weiss pinched the bridge of her nose and closed her eyes. "That's just great." She took a deep breath and raised her head and looked to Ruby. "So, what's our course of action?"

"Huh? Why are you asking me?"

"Well, you are our leader."

"… I guess you're right. Um..." Ruby scratched her arm nervously. "I think two people should go see how Dad and everyone else is doing. Whoever's left should stay here with Yang. I did it last time, so I don't mind doing it again."

Blake shook her head. "No. You and Weiss go check on your father. I'll stay here with Yang."

"Are you sure?"

"Positive."

"Alright, then. It just sucks that we have to split up after getting back the whole team back together."

Weiss shrugged. "It can't be helped. Let's hurry."

The younger girl nodded and gestured to the door. "After you, princess."

Weiss rolled her eyes and walked forward. "Come on, dolt."

Ruby followed after her, but looked one last time at her teammates in the dorm. "Be safe, you two."

Yang nodded in return. "You too, sis."

Ruby then shut the door and began to make her way to her father.

* * *

"Start talking. Now."

Several coughs and wheezes were heard before a response to the demand was spoken. "Did you really think it would be that easy? You just beat us down and we would tell you whatever you wanted?"

Qrow scoffed and swung his sword across the Mistrae's neck, chopping its head off. "Well, that one wasn't very cooperative. Who's next?"

The group of hunters who had been fighting the group of Mistrae outside had beaten the Grimm down until only a handful of them remained. They were exhausted from the battle, but now they had a chance to get vital information about the creatures and they weren't about to lose this chance.

Taiyang stabbed his polearm into a Mistrae that was still disguised as an Atlas soldier. He stabbed its shoulder and drove the blade through until it stuck firmly in the ground. "How about this one? He's not going anywhere."

Qrow knelt down in front of the creature. "Okay, now how about you-"

He was cut off as a gunshot rang out through the area. He looked up to notice Ironwood's gun aimed toward a felled Grimm. "Apologies. That one tried to run. Feel free to continue with your… interrogation."

The hunter turned his attention back to the Grimm in front of him. "Now, if you start talking this would go a lot faster."

"What's the point? If we don' talk, you'll kill us. If we _do_ talk, you'll kill us. Personally, I'm all for making this as hard as possible." The Mistrae smirked.

Qrow glared at the creature. "Your kind disgusts me. You have no place in this world." He brought his sword down hard and fast on the creature's head, cleaving it in two. "Next."

Before Qrow got his hands on another Grimm, he heard a voice behind him.

"Qrow! Taiyang!"

The hunter turned to see Blake running toward them. "What are you doin' out here, kid?"

Blake ran up to the hunter and placed her hands on her knees. She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "I'm still looking for Yang, but now Weiss and Ruby are missing."

"What?"

"I went up to our dorm, but there wasn't anyone there."

" _Wait a minute… didn't the Schnee say that there was one of those things dressed as Blake? It might be her..."_ Qrow cleared his throat and took a swig from his flask. "Alright. When did you last see them?"

"We, uh… We split up earlier. We heard some explosions and separated to check them out. That's the last time I saw them. I ran into Yang, though. I told her to wait in the dorm."

"I see. Did you get hurt while you were gone?"

Blake shook her head. "Nope. I managed to get out without injury."

"That's a relief."

"So, how are things going on out here."

Qrow shrugged. "About as well as they could be. Not many of these things left. We're trying to get as much information out of them as we can, but they're not being very cooperative." Qrow looked at the group of Mistrae and scowled. "Speaking of Grimm..." He walked forward and spun his sword around, then brought it close enough to Blake to make a cut on her leg.

Taiyang's eyes widened. "Qrow, what the hell?"

Qrow chuckled. "Well, look at that..." He pointed to the fresh cut on Blake's leg. "No blood, huh?"

Blake's gaze narrowed. "You bastard… how did you know?"

"That doesn't matter. What _does_ matter, is that you were stupid enough to come here. I don't know if you had a plan to ambush us, or something else, but it was a mistake." He turned to the blonde hunter beside him. "Tai."

The man nodded and stabbed the Grimm through its leg, pinning it to the ground. The Grimm let out a loud shriek and collapsed. Qrow knelt down next to the Mistrae, grabbed a handful of its hair, and pulled it to the side. "We're gonna have a little chat, 'kay?"

"Do whatever you want. I won't tell you anything. You're going to kill me anyway."

"Actually, that's a real problem we've been having with your friends here… until now." Qrow stood up and turned to the group of Grimm behind him. The blade of his sword folded downward as it transformed into its gun mode. "Guys, get rid of the rest of them. We aren't going to need these ones alive."

"Qrow… are you sure about this? They haven't given us any in-"

"Trust me. We won't need them."

Taiyang looked to Oobleck, who simply shrugged. His gaze then shifted to Ironwood, who shook his head. "Qrow I think we should keep them alive. We need them to talk."

Qrow replied by shooting one of the Grimm in the head with an explosive dust round, killing the creature instantly. "If you won't, I will."

Ironwood rolled his eyes, but raised his gun and aimed it towards the creatures. "For the record, I think that this is a mistake."

Several shots rang out and one by one, the Mistrae fell to the ground as they died. A few Grimm tried to run, only to be taken out by Oobleck. The green-haired professor shook his head once they were done dispatching the Mistrae. "This was a great chance to learn about these creatures. Such a wasted opportunity."

"Believe me, it wasn't." Qrow directed his attention towards the trapped Grimm disguised as Blake.

The Grimm sneered at the hunter. "So, now what? You're going to kill me, too?"

Qrow shook his head. "Oh, no way. You see, now we don't have any other Grimm left to… 'talk' to, which means we're gonna be _extra_ careful with you. From what we've seen, you guys can take quite a bit of punishment. Seeing as how we need some information still, we're going to see just how much you can take."

Qrow cleared his throat and took a swig out of his flask. "So, we're not going to kill you." The hunter's eyes grew dark and his gaze narrowed. "But by the time I'm done with you… you'll wish we did."

* * *

"So, how are you holding up?"

"Alright, I guess. It could be worse. I just wish that there was something I could _do,_ you know?"

Blake and Yang were in Team RWBY's dorm, waiting for Ruby and Weiss to get back. Yang had calmed down significantly since her outburst with Ruby, but was still stressed out from worrying about the other two teammates.

"Do you think they're okay?"

The faunus nodded. "I'm sure they're fine."

"Yeah… I just worry about Ruby… I know she can defend herself, but she's my little sister. I'm supposed to protect her, but I can't do anything right now."

Blake placed a hand on Yang's shoulder. "Relax. Ruby skipped two grades to be here with us. I doubt Ozpin would have let her do that without a reason. Don't forget, she is also our leader, which is just another testament to her skill."

"I guess you're right." Yang looked at her partner and smiled. "Thanks, Blake."

A light shade of red appeared on the faunus' face. "You're welcome."

"Not just for this, either." Yang's voice grew quieter and she lowered her head. "You're really important to me… You comforted me when I was scared about losing my aura. You've been there for me a lot through this whole thing. And now you're willing to sit in here with me while everyone else fights, because I can't. Thank you. Seriously. For everything."

Blake's blush deepened as she faced away from the blonde and her ears laid down underneath her bow. "… D-Don't mention it."

Yang sat down on Blake's bed and began to swing her legs back and forth. "So… what do we do now? It's kind of boring just sitting here and waiting for them to get back."

"I'm perfectly content to just sit here and wait for Ruby and Weiss to return."

The blonde groaned. "Ugh, but that's boring!"

Blake rolled her eyes. "Well, what do you suggest."

"I don't know. We could play a game or something."

"That doesn't sound appealing. I've never been interested in… that sort of thing."

Yang puffed out her cheeks and laid down on the bed. A few moments passed and she suddenly shot upright. "I've got it."

"What?"

"Three words. Truth. Or. Dare."

"Isn't that a game for children?"

Yang shrugged. I don't think it really has an age limit. Besides, I don't hear you recommending anything. You got any ideas?"

Blake held up her finger and opened her mouth to speak, only to lower her hand and shake her head. "… No, I suppose I don't."

"Then it's settled. I'll even let you go first."

Blake's face turned red again. "I… um… how do you play?"

The blonde stared blankly at her partner. "… What?"

"I've never played Truth or Dare before. How do you play?"

"You're kidding me…" Yang sat up straight and crossed her legs. "Okay, you just ask me 'Truth or dare?' then, I'll pick which one I want. If iI pick dare, then you tell me to do something and I have to do it. If I pick truth, you get to ask me any question you want and I have to answer it."

"That's it?"

Yang nodded. "Yup!"

Blake scoffed. "This is so childish. Now is not the time for games, anyway. People are fighting for their lives. We should remain alert."

"Just relax. There's nothing we can do about it right now."

"… Fine."

Yang grinned. "So, ask me."

"Um, truth or dare?"

"Hmm… Truth!"

"Alright… What is your favorite color?"

Yang stared at her partner with half-lidded eyes. "That's it? That's your question?"

Blake nodded silently.

Yang pointed to her shirt. "I always assumed my favorite color was pretty obvious. It's yellow." She began to twirl a few strands of her short hair around one finger. "I got really lucky that I was born with yellow hair."

"So, now it's your turn?"

"Oh, yeah. Truth or dare?"

"Dare."

Yang gasped. "Wow, straight to dare, huh?" Yang stared at Blake mischievously. "You're not trying to hide something, are ya?"

Blake's eyes slowly fell to the floor. "… Of course not."

Yang quickly pointed a finger at the faunus. "You hesitated! You _are_ trying to hide something, you sneaky little feline!"

The accusation earned the blonde a glare from the faunus. "It doesn't matter if I'm trying to hide anything. I chose dare."

"Okay, okay. You win this round, Belladonna." A thoughtful expression made it's way onto Yang's face. After thinking for a few seconds, an idea popped into her head. "I dare you to take your bow off."

"W-What?!"

"You heard me." Yang scooted to the edge of the bed. "No one is here except us, so you don't have to worry about anyone seeing you except me."

"But-"

"Hey, you agreed to this game and you chose dare. Are you backing out already?"

Blake groaned and rolled her eyes. "Fine, If that's what you want." She raised her hands up and slowly untied her bow. She gently pulled the bow off her head and wiggled her ears back and forth a few times, now that they were free from their confinement. "Are you happy now?"

Yang was beaming. "Yes, very happy."

"Alright. Now, truth or dare?"

"Um, truth again, I guess."

Blake searched her mind for a question. She couldn't think of anything, at first, but something eventually came to her, though she hesitated before she asked it. "Yang… have you ever… been in love?"

The blonde's eyes shot open. "Whoa! Where did that question come from?"

Blake shrugged. "I couldn't think of anything…" Her face started to become red again. "Just answer the question."

"I mean… I've liked people before, but I don't think I've ever been 'in love'."

"Really… do you like anyone right now?"

"Hey, that's two questions!"

"Oh, w-well, I did-"

Blake was interrupted by Yang's laughter. "You should have seen the look on your face when you broke the rules." Yang composed herself after a moment. "Anyway, yeah, I think I might, but that's all you're getting out of me. Now, truth or dare."

"… Truth."

"Oh, truth this time. Alright, kitty cat. Is there anyone that _you_ like?"

The faunus' eyes widened. "I-I… uh..."

"It doesn't feel too good to be on the other end of that question, huh?"

Blake's ears laid back. "I suppose not- and... maybe."

"Ooooh, I smell something juicy."

The faunus smirked. "Only one question, though, right?" Blake cleared her throat. "So, truth or dare?"

Yang smiled. "Alright, fair enough. Dare."

"I dare you to eat Ruby's secret stash of cookies. We both know they're not very secretive. If you don't know where they are, I'll tell you."

Yang waved her hands in front of her face. "Hey, now. I'm all for a little danger in the game, but that's practically suicide. Can you imagine what Ruby would do if her cookies went missing? Especially if she found out that _I_ was the one that ate them?"

Blake smiled. "I won't have to imagine it. I'll get to live it… unless you're chicken. This game was your idea, after all."

"Well played, Blake. Well played." Yang stood up and walked over to a nearby dresser. She pulled out the bottom drawer and reached far back into the dresser. When her hand came out, it was holding a small bag of cookies. She sat back down on the bed and opened the bag, then stuck a hand in and pulled one out. "If I die, I'm blaming you."

The dark-haired girl chuckled. "I highly doubt she'd kill you."

"We'll see about that." Yang finished eating the cookies, then balled the bag up and tossed it into a trashcan. "So, truth or dare."

 _"If she had me take my bow off, I don't want to think about what else she might make me do."_ "Truth."

"Truth again? Bad move, Blake… Who do you like?"

" _Damn… I didn't think about that."_ "Actually, I don't think I want to play anymore."

"Aw, come on. It's a harmless question. If you don't give me an answer, I'll never let it go."

Blake closed her eyes and swore at herself internally. ".. I-Its..."

Before she could answer Yang's question, the dorm room's door opened and revealed the other half of Team RWBY. Ruby started to walk in the room, but Weiss stopped her. "I told you what to do less than a minute ago, Ruby."

"Oh, yeah. Sorry." Ruby pulled out her dagger and cut her arm, followed by Weiss doing the same thing.

Weiss nodded, then looked to the other two in the room. "Yang? Blake?"

Blake made a cut on herself with Crocea Mors, then handed the weapon to Yang, who did the same. "Gah, that hurts. I guess aura absorbs some pain when it heals you, too."

"Sorry, but we had to be sure it was really you guys."

"It's okay. So, did you guys go see Dad?"

Ruby nodded. "Yeah. Actually, it's pretty much clear right now. Dad said you two could go ahead and come outside. They've got one of them… trapped. It's alright."

Yang stood up and stretched. "Sweet, I was starting to get cabin fever."

Weiss turned and walked out of the room, followed by Ruby, who turned around and motioned for the pair to follow them. "Let's go."

Yang cracked her neck and her fingers, then followed quickly after her sister. Before leaving the room, she pointed at Blake. "Don't think I'll forget about that question, Blake."

Blake left the dorm after Yang and hung her head. _"Fantastic."_

* * *

 **Hey, guys. I'm back! Hope you're ready for another chapter, 'cause here it is! Hope you all like it.**

 **Sorry for the wait, but it's all I can manage right now. I made this one a little longer than normal, so I hope that makes up for it a little bit.**

 **Anyway, I think that's all from me for now, so I'll see you all in the next one!**

 **:D**


	38. Victory

"Wrong answer." Qrow grabbed Taiyang's polearm, which was currently pinning the captured Mistrae to the ground, and twisted.

The Grimm let out a monstrous roar. It flashed between several appearances while Qrow was turning the weapon. First Blake, then Yang, then Ruby, then back to its true form before turning back into Blake again.

Qrow knelt down to the creature while his hand remained on the polearm. "Now, I'll ask you again. How were you Grimm able to turn into all of those soldiers."

The Mistrae said nothing.

"Have it your way." Qrow pulled the polearm out of its leg and glared at it. "Feel better?" He then quickly stabbed it into its other leg.

The Grimm screamed and flashed through several appearances again. The monster clutched its leg and locked eyes with the hunter. "I… won't tell… you." It then turned into Qrow. "Does this make it easier?"

"We know your tricks. No matter who you turn into, it won't phase us. Now start talking."

The Mistrae glared, then looked at Taiyang. He seemed to be searching him for something. Qrow noticed and snapped his fingers, drawing the Grimm's attention back to him. "Hey, it's rude to ignore someone when they're talking to you."

"My apologies." The Grimm smirked, then slowly began to change its appearance. It grew slightly taller than Blake, and its hair became short. The clothes around started to form into a cloak. When its transformation was done, Qrow's eyes widened and he heard a few sharp intakes of breath behind him.

"James… will you do something for me?"

"That depends on what you ask of me."

"Ruby and the others should be on their way here. Go meet them and stop them from coming here for a while. Her and Yang don't need to see this."

The pinned Mistrae chuckled and grinned. "What, are you worried about how they'll react to me now?"

Qrow glared at the creature and turned the weapon in its leg. "Shut. Up." He stood up and turned to Ironwood. "James, please."

"I don't understand, why don't you want them here?"

Taiyang placed a hand on the general's shoulder. "They don't need to see this."

"Why? Who is that?"

Taiyang took a deep breath, then looked at the Grimm. "It's Summer."

* * *

"So, they beat all of them?"

"Well, not _all_ of them, but they had them cornered. They were questioning them when we started to head back."

Blake crossed her arms. "What do you mean? What are they questioning them about?"

Ruby shrugged. "Dunno. If I had to guess, I would say that it's about a lot of stuff. Why they did everything that they did, where they came from, how they did it, stuff like that."

"I suppose that makes sense."

Team RWBY was walking through the halls of Beacon, making their way towards Qrow and the others, when suddenly, someone stood in their way. "Ah, Miss Rose, just who I was looking for."

Ruby raised an eyebrow curiously. "General Ironwood? What are you doing here?"

"I was… asked to come meet you. Taiyang and Qrow would like you to remain here for the time being."

"What? Why? And how do we even know you're _you_?"

"That's understandable. Unfortunately, I do not have the means to prove myself to you at this moment."

Ruby reached into her boot and pulled out her dagger. "Here."

"Ah." Ironwood took the small knife from Ruby and made a cut on his left arm. After a few seconds, blood began to come out of the wound. "As you can see, I'm very real." He handed the knife back to ruby and cleared his throat. "Now, if you wouldn't mind waiting here in the school, someone will come get you momentarily."

"Why can't we just go out there now?"

"That is something that should be explained to you by your father."

Ruby clapped her hands together and started to walk past Ironwood. "Great. In that case, I'm going to go out there and see him so he can tell me."

The general placed a hand on Ruby's shoulder and stopped her. "I'm sorry, but I can't let you go out there right now."

"Just tell me why you're trying to keep me here."

Ironwood sighed. "There was an… incident involving the Mistrae."

Yang's eyes widened and she walked forward until she was next to her sister. "What happened? Is everyone alright? Is Dad hurt? What about Uncle Qrow?"

Ironwood shook his head. "No, nothing like that has happened. Everyone is alright." The general took a deep breath and turned to Ruby. "You two just need to stay here, for now."

At this point, Weiss stepped forward. "Why did you say 'you two'? You make it sound as if Blake and I are free to follow you."

Ironwood nodded. "As it stands, I was merely asked to stop Ruby and Yang from going outside. The way I see it Miss Belladonna and yourself can accompany me back to the others, if you wish."

Ruby stomped her foot and threw her arms to her sides. "How is that fair?! What the hell is going on out there?!"

"Please understand, this was asked of me by your father and your uncle. This was not my decision, but theirs. If you wish to act against their wishes, then I won't stop you. Just know, this was what they wanted."

Ruby glared at the doorway leading outside. "Well, then it's settled."

She began to walk towards the doorway, but Yang stopped her. "Ruby, maybe we should think about this. Dad and Uncle Qrow wouldn't ask us to hang back here for no reason."

"Aren't you the least bit angry that they want to keep us here?"

The blonde shrugged. "I'm curious, but I'm not angry. If Weiss and Blake can go out there, let them go and come back with some info. If we can't go out there and see stuff for ourselves, we can ask them to go for us."

"But-"

Ruby was interrupted by Weiss. "Ruby, stay here. Blake and I will go see what is going on and come back to you, alright? You two can head back up to the dorm. We will meet you there."

The younger girl puffed out her cheeks and crossed her arms. "… Fine."

Weiss smiled, leaned close to Ruby and kissed her on the cheek. "We'll be back before you know it."

"Just..." Ruby sighed. "Just hurry, please."

The heiress nodded. "We will." She turned to Blake and gestured towards the door. "Come on, Blake. Let's go."

"Right."

As they walked by the pair of sisters, Yang smiled. "Be careful out there."

* * *

"Tai, I've brought these two with me."

"James, what the hell? I told you to-"

Ironwood held up his hands and shook his head. "Calm down. It's not your daughters. Miss Schnee and Miss Belladonna wished to accompany me out here. Seeing as how your request pertained to only Ruby and Yang, I saw no harm in it."

Qrow scoffed. "He's got ya beat, Tai."

"Whatever. Just… don't let them get too close."

Weiss and Blake stepped out from behind the general, and the shorter of the two girls began to walk forward. "Don't let us get too close to what, exactly?"

The blonde man turned around and pointed to the captured Mistrae. "That."

Weiss stared at the creature. "Who… Who is that? I've never seen them before."

Taiyang hung his head. "It's disguised as my..." He closed his eyes and took a deep breath after clearing his throat. "It's Ruby's mother- Summer Rose."

The heiress' eyes widened. "Y-You mean..."

The hunter nodded. "Somehow, this thing has disguised itself as her. We are trying to figure out just how it did that, among other things, but the Grimm have been… less than cooperative."

Blake stepped forward until she was next to Weiss. "What do you mean?"

"What I mean is, we've been interrogating them. When they decided to hinder us, we took… drastic measures. But despite that, this one still hasn't given us any information."

Weiss took a few more steps forward. "What do you need to ask it?"

"We need whatever information we can get out of it. Unfortunately, this Mistrae is our last shot. The others have been killed."

The heiress nodded. "I see. General, please step aside."

"I'm sure it would be better for you to remain here."

Taiyang walked over and stood next to Ironwood. "He's right. I would rather you girls stay out of this."

"If you would let me, I might be able to help you. I also have questions I would like to ask this thing. Rest assured, I will not kill it."

The hunters glanced at each other, then Taiyang stepped to the side. "If you think you can get something out of it without killing it, I guess there's no harm in letting you try."

"Thank you."

As Weiss started to walk towards the Grimm, Blake grabbed her arm. "Weiss, what are you going to do?"

The heiress gently pulled her arm out of the faunus' grasp. "Just relax." She walked towards the Mistrae and knelt down beside it. "Hello. Do you think it would be possible for us to have a civil chat?"

The creature coughed and spit at Weiss. "Fuck you."

Weiss reached up and wiped the spit off her face. "… Let's try this again. How did you turn into this person?"

The Grimm started to bring more spit up its throat and into its mouth, but was silenced as it was forced to the ground by some unseen force. It shook its head and looked at the ground to see a spinning, black glyph. It attempted to get up, only to be brought back down again.

Weiss stood up and cleared her throat. "Now, once again… How did you turn into this person?"

"As if I would tell you anything." Once again, the Grimm was forced into the ground.

"Actually, I think you'll tell me everything I need to know." Weiss pulled out Myrtynaster and stood straight. She held her sword parallel to her chest and closed her eyes. As she did so, another glyph began to appear beneath the previous one.

Suddenly, everything became muffled for a few seconds and seemed to slow down. Weiss opened her eyes and knelt back down by the Mistrae. "Now, this should make things easier."

"You think I'm gonna talk just because you used some fancy magic?"

The heiress glared at the creature and thrust her sword into the Grimm's arm. The creature shrieked in pain and spit at Weiss again, only for her to dodge it and pull her sword back. Everyone watched as the wound she had made slowly healed itself.

At this point, Qrow started to make his way over to the young girl. "What did you just do?"

"I used my semblance. There is a gravity glyph overlaying a time dilation glyph."

"English, please."

Weiss sighed. "The gravity glyph will keep the Grimm trapped here, so you won't need that spear holding it to the ground anymore. The time dilation glyph is… special. It will let any injuries sustained by the creature to heal themselves. However, the full force of the injuries will take effect once the glyph dissipates."

"So… If we 'kill' it, it won't die until the glyph is gone?"

The heiress nodded. "That is correct. I can strengthen the gravity glyph as well."

"How much?"

"Enough to kill."

Qrow chuckled. "Man, you sound a lot like your sister."

Weiss scoffed and rolled her eyes.

"So, how long can you keep this thing up?"

"I'm not entirely sure. I've never tested my limits when it came to this. It is something I've learned only recently. However, I'm confident I can keep it up for at least an hour."

"Great." Qrow turned around. "You hear that, Tai."

"Yeah, I heard it. Sounds like this just got a lot easier."

Weiss turned and looked at Taiyang. "I told you I could help."

The blonde man chuckled. "Thank you, Weiss. I'm sorry we doubted you."

"It's quite alright." Weiss quickly made her way back to Blake. "Will you go inform the others about what is happening? I'm sure Ruby would like to know. That is..." She turned to Taiyang. "If you're okay with that?"

The man sighed and shrugged. "I suppose, on one condition." He turned back to the Grimm. "Do you think… that you could _force_ that thing to change into something else? I don't want Ruby to see it."

"Certainly." She pointed Myrtynaster at the creature. "You heard him."

"Fuck o-"

Weiss was at the creature's throat in an instant. She thrust her rapier through the creature and simultaneously strengthened the gravity glyph, causing the Grimm to make a small crater in the ground. "I really don't like that word."

The Grimm flashed several times, before changing into an Atlas soldier.

"That's better."

Qrow walked closer to Taiyang and leaned towards him. "You know, she kinda scares me."

Taiyang laughed. "She's definitely a Schnee, but she's got a good head on her shoulders, unlike most of her family."

"Yeah, she's a good fit for Ruby, doncha think?"

"Y'know, I always thought I would have to worry about Ruby and Yang dealing with boys. I never thought things would end up like, well, like _that_."

Weiss walked over to the hunters, who were smiling. "The Grimm changed."

"Right." Taiyang turned to Blake. "If you want, you can go get Ruby and Yang."

"Okay." The faunus then spun around and headed into the school.

* * *

"Blake! What's going on out there? And where's Weiss? Is she okay? Is she hurt?"

Blake placed a hand on her teammate's shoulder. "Calm down, Ruby. I'm actually here to get you and Yang."

"Really?"

"Yes. Don't worry about anything. Everyone is fine."

"Alright. Let's go already!"

Blake held up her hand. "Wait. We've been separated for a while. However unlikely it is that you two are not Grimm, I would like for you to prove it."

"Ugh, fine."

Ruby pulled out her dagger and made a cut on her arm, followed by Yang, then Blake quickly did the same. "Alright, it looks like everything is in order. Come on."

Blake led them outside and as soon as the exited the school, Ruby began to scan the area for her girlfriend. Her eyes drifted to the left and she spotted her. She then ran towards the heiress with her arms outstretched. "Weiiisss!"

Ruby pulled her into a hug and picked her up off the ground, which left Weiss feet dangling in the air. "R-Ruby, put me down!"

The younger girl gently let her slide out of her embrace until her feet hit the ground. "Sorry, I was just happy to see you."

"I was only gone for a few minutes."

"But I didn't know if you were okay! I didn't know what was going on. I'm happy that you're safe."

"Well, I appreciate you worrying about me."

"Oh, wait." Ruby rolled up her sleeve and showed Weiss. The cut she had made hadn't fully healed yet and she was able to squeeze a little bit of blood out of it. "That's so you know it's really me."

Weiss smiled. "You remembered… even if it was a bit delayed."

Ruby chuckled and scratched the back of her head. "Yeah, sorry."

"Very well, then." Weiss made a small cut on her arm with her rapier. "As you can see, I'm the real me, as well."

Ruby looked at the ground and kicked at it with the end of her boot. "So… now that we, y'know… did the whole cut thing, can I hug you again?"

"… I suppose."

Ruby grinned. "Yay! Hugs from Weiss!" She wrapped her arms around the heiress and hugged her tightly, while letting her feet remain on the ground.

"Ruby, I-I know I said you could hug me, but you're p-practically... crushing me."

"Oh! Sorry. I got carried away." Ruby leaned forward and placed a small kiss on Weiss' lips. "Does that make up for it?"

The older girl's face turned red and she looked at the ground. "Ruby, this isn't the time."

"Just answer my question and I'll shut up about it."

Weiss' blush deepened. "Y-Yes..."

"Good! Now, what's going on out here?"

Ruby felt a hand on her shoulder and turned around to see her father. "We are questioning a Grimm. We have several questions we need to know the answer to. Until now, we've gotten nowhere. But Weiss here has helped us."

Ruby turned back around to her partner. "How did you do that?"

"I made glyphs under the Mistrae to make it easier to interrogate the Grimm without the risk of something going wrong, like killing it."

"Oh. So, have you asked it anything yet?"

"Well, we have, but we haven't gotten any answers out of it yet. We're hoping Weiss' glyphs can change that."

Weiss nodded. "It will, I assure you. But need I remind you that while I can keep my glyphs up for a while, the time is limited."

"Right." Taiyang walked over to the Grimm and was quickly joined by Qrow. "Let's get started."

* * *

"Professor Ozpin, Are you sure we shouldn't intervene?"

"They seem to have everything under control."

Glynda Goodwitch looked out of a window at the scene beneath it. Full-fledged hunters and people that were merely students, fighting and defeating what could quite possibly be the most dangerous species of Grimm in existence. "Aside from this, we will need to start repairing the main hall tomorrow."

"All will be taken care of. The worst is behind us."

Glynda pushed her glasses up the bridge of her nose and stared at the man to her left. "If you don't mind me asking, why didn't you help them?"

"If I truly believed, for even a fraction of a second, that they couldn't handle the situation, I would have stepped in immediately. I was more than confident in their ability to pull through this."

"That's not the point. You disappeared. The students don't know where any of their teachers are. They're probably all still in the safe room beneath the great hall. I'm sure some assurance would have gone a long way."

Ozpin took a sip from his mug. "I'm well aware of that. However, it would be extremely irresponsible for me to partake in combat. You know this, and you know why."

The blonde sighed. "Yes, sir, I understand that."

"Why didn't you help them? The students or the others?"

"W-Well, I… someone needed to keep tabs on you, I suppose."

Ozpin smiled. "Ah, well, alright then." His gaze then narrowed. "However, there was another reason I wished to simply… _observe_ things."

"Oh? And what was that?"

"I was wondering if somehow this event had something to do with… _her_."

Glynda's eyes widened. "This seems very brash of her to do. I highly doubt there's a connection, professor."

"Yes, it seems that way, but it is the Grimm after all. When something involves them, there is always a connection to her in some way."

The woman sighed. "I suppose you're right. Still, it seems like the situation is more or less under control. Shall I go inform the other students?"

"Yes, but keep them in the school for now. I would like to keep this under wraps for the time being. There are going to be a lot of questions regardless, and I would like to address them after I'm sure this is over."

"Very well." Glynda stepped out of the room and closed the door behind her.

Ozpin stared out of the window at his students, both past and present. He took another sip from his mug and smiled. " _Well done, students."_

* * *

 **Hey, guys. Well, here's another chapter down. Man, I really hate only being able to post every two weeks instead of weekly... You know what? Here's a question for y'all.**

 **So, when I started, I was uploading every Wednesday. Now, that has come down to every _other_ Wednesday simply because I don't have as much time to write as I used to. However, sometimes I have a good chunk of time that I just power through and hammer almost a whole chapter in a day, but that's not very reliable as it doesn't happen very often.**

 **So, what I want to ask is this: Would you guys rather me keep my current schedule of uploading every two weeks and weekly when I can, OR would you like it more if I stockpiled chapters and released them in bulk, like, two or three at a time? Either option is fine with me, but I would like to know what y'all would like better.  
**

 **Anyway, that's all I've got for now, so I hope everyone liked this chapter. I'll see you in the next one!**

 **:D**


	39. Answers

"You bitch!"

"If you would just cooperate, this would go a lot faster."

"Psh. I'm dead already anyway. Why would I say anything to help you?"

Weiss rolled her eyes and thrust Myrtenaster through the Grimm's head. The creature's eyes rolled into the back of its head and it began to spasm violently. As Weiss pulled her weapon back, the Mistrae started to cough and gasp. A few seconds passed, and the hole in the creature's skull healed itself.

"That hurts, goddammit!"

Weiss sighed and stabbed her rapier in the ground at her side. _"We are getting absolutely nowhere. I thought this would be easy, but this thing is tough."_ The heiress felt a hand on her shoulder and spun around.

"Still not talking, huh?"

The white-haired girl shook her head. "No. I'm sorry I can't be of more use to you and the others, Taiyang. I suppose I underestimated the Mistrae."

"Don't be too hard on yourself. Believe me, I know how tough these things can be after fighting them all day. Although, I do have one last thing I could try. It might work."

"Really? Why haven't you brought this up sooner?"

"Well, I was waiting to see if we could get information out of that thing by some other means, but time's getting short. It's been almost an hour since you put up those glyphs of yours."

Weiss hadn't realized how much time had passed, but now that Taiyang pointed it out, she suddenly noticed how tired she was. "Yes, you're right. I'm not sure how much longer I will be able to maintain them."

"Welp, in that case, I'm going to have to ask you to move. I'd rather not have anyone too close to me."

"Um, alright."

The blonde man began to walk toward the Grimm, but Qrow stopped him. "Tai… tell me you're not doing what I think you're doing."

"Qrow, get out of the way."

"You idiot! Do you know how dangerous that is?! Last time you were knocked out for almost a week!"

Taiyang took a deep breath. "We're out of options. We need this thing to talk, and I think I can make it do just that." The sound of footsteps behind him caused the huntsman to turn around. He quickly met the eyes of his daughters. "Hey, you two go ba-"

"Dad, what's he talking about?"

"Yeah, what Ruby said. What are you doing?"

Taiyang smiled. "Don't worry. Everything will be fine."

"That's not an answer!"

"Calm down. I'll explain when it's over. We're pressed for time, so I need to get to work." He faced the Mistrae and started to make his way toward it once again.

Ruby walked over to Qrow and tugged on his cape. "Uncle Qrow, what is he doing?"

"He's being a moron."

"But… what is he _doing_?"

Qrow took in a deep breath and let it out slowly. "He's going to use his semblance."

"What? But I thought that was only for weapons?"

"Well, it should be. If he uses it on something that's not that polearm of his, it puts an incredibly bad strain in his body. He's only done it three times for as long as I've known him."

Taiyang was now in front of the Mistrae. The creature snickered and coughed a few times. "So, what are you gonna do now? 'Kill' me again?"

The hunter said nothing. He placed his arms at his side and closed his eyes. The tattoo on his arm began to glow a bright yellow, and his arm began to turn a dim orange. He then opened his eyes, which were completely white and appeared to have smoke coming out of them. He slowly walked closer to the Grimm and knelt down. "One chance."

"What?"

"You have one chance to talk."

The Grimm laughed. "Is that all you've got? Think I'm gonna be scared now that you're arms gone all shiny?"

"Alright. You had a chance." Taiyang reached his fist back and punched into the Grimm's stomach.

The Mistrae coughed and spat blood onto the ground. "M-Man, that was one hell of a punch. You hit me a lot harder than th-" The Grimm suddenly stopped talking and started screaming. Its eyes looked as though they had started to melt, and it was trying to draw in air, as if it couldn't breathe. "What are… W-What the FUCK ARE YOU DOING TO ME!?"

The creature roared and thrashed as much as it could while contained in Weiss' gravity glyph.

After a few moments, a foul stench filled the air. The smell caused Blake to cough violently, while the rest of the group simply plugged their noses.

Taiyang glared at the creature in front of him. "Do you smell that? That's what it smells like when your internal organs are burning to the point of liquefying. Normally, you'd be dead by now, but that glyph is going to let you feel this pain for a long time."

"You bastard! I-It… STOP!"

"Are you going to give us what we want?"

The Mistrae gritted its teeth. "… G-Go to hell..." It let out a howl and a scream as Taiyang increased the heat inside it.

"I can go hotter, you know." Taiyang winced in pain and his breathing quickened as a short burst of heat radiated through his body. "Look here, you piece of shit. You are a stain on this world, and there is nothing I won't do to keep my family safe. That includes torturing Grimm for information that can improve the safety of this world. Now talk."

The Grimm glared at the hunter as it screamed in pain. "F-Fine!"

"Good." Taiyang pulled his hand back and stood up. He took a few steps away from the creature on the ground, then collapsed.

Ruby, Yang, and Qrow rushed over to him and propped him up. "Dad, are you okay?"

He was breathing heavy and had a small trail of blood coming out of his mouth. "I've been better, but I'll be alright. That thing is all yours, Qrow. I think it's willing to cooperate now."

Qrow nodded. "Right." He stood up and took a good look at Taiyang. "Ruby, Yang, take him to the medical ward. Things aren't nearly as crazy as they were earlier. I'm sure that it's safe now."

"O-Okay. Dad, can you stand up?" Ruby looked at her father. "Dad?"

His eyes were closed and he gave no response.

"Dad!"

Qrow knelt down and placed his fingers underneath Taiyang's jawline. "Don't worry, he's still alive, just unconscious. Can you two manage to carry him?"

"Yeah, we'll take him."

"Alright. Get him up there quick."

Yang and Ruby slid their arms around the blonde man and gently picked him up. The started walking towards the school, but stumbled slightly as they carried their father inside.

"Wait."

The sisters turned to see Blake making her way towards them. "Do you two need some help?"

"That would be great."

Ruby looked behind her. "Weiss, do you want to come with us?"

"I would like to, but I have to stay here. If I leave, the glyphs I've summoned will disappear. I am worried about your father, so please come back when he is taken care of. I'm sorry I can't go with you."

"That's alright. I understand. We'll be back before you know it." Ruby, Blake, and Yang then made their way into the school and disappeared from sight.

Weiss smiled, then brought herself down to one knee and stabbed Myrtenaster into the ground. She started to breathe heavy and a few drops of blood started to come out of her nose.

Qrow noticed and knelt down next to her. "Weiss, are you alright?"

The heiress nodded. "I'll be fine. I'm just struggling to keep the glyphs up. I'm almost at my limit. Please hurry."

Qrow stood back up and walked over to the Mistrae. He glared at it and took a swig out of his flask. "Okay, question time."

* * *

"So, what happened to your father? I heard Qrow say he was using his semblance. What is it?"

Yang took a deep breath. "He can manipulate his aura and 'push' it into things. Whenever he does it, he can control the temperature of that thing to a certain extent. He can't make it go any lower, but he can make it really hot."

"I see."

"Normally, he uses it on his weapon. It's been specially designed to take his aura and turn into power. He's done it with other things before, but when he uses it on living things, it gets… complicated."

"How so?"

"When he does that, it… leaves a part of him behind, like, a chunk of his aura that he can never get back."

Ruby was shocked. "What? You knew about that this whole time?"

Yang nodded. "Yeah… sorry that I didn't tell you. I remember Uncle Qrow talking to me about it a few years ago, back when I was still in Signal Academy, but I've never seen him do it myself until now."

The conversation between the three girls was interrupted as they heard coughing. They looked down and noticed Taiyang's eyes start to open. "Ugh… Girls? What's going on?"

"Dad, you're okay!"

"Yeah. Do you, uh… you wanna put me down?" The three members of team RWBY set the blonde man down and let him stand up on his own. "Thanks."

Blake cleared her throat and pointed a thumb behind her. "Since your father is able to stand on his own, I'm going to go back outside with the others."

"Alright. We'll see you later."

The faunus smiled and turned around, then walked out of the school. Yang's eyes followed her until she was out of sight, then she turned to face her father. "So, how do you feel?"

The huntsman groaned and craned his neck to the side. "Like I was trampled by a Goliath and taped back together."

"Well, we were taking you to the medical ward of the school. You should probably still do that, even though you're awake now."

"Yeah, that sounds like a good idea." He looked to his side as he felt a hand on his shoulder.

"Dad?"

"Ruby, is something wrong?"

The young girl shook her head. "No, but… Yang told me what you did."

Taiyang's eyes widened and he looked to Yang. "How do _you_ know what I did?"

"I know what you can do with your semblance. Uncle Qrow talked to me about it before."

The man rolled his eyes. "That figures. That bird-brain can't keep that mouth of his shut unless he's got a drink in it."

Ruby suddenly hugged Taiyang, which he returned quickly. "What's this for?"

"Dad… I don't know why we need to go through all of this to make that thing talk, but I'm glad you're okay. But… why would you do that to begin with? Why didn't we just let the thing die? It's kind of pointless to keep it alive, right? I mean, what can it even tell us?"

Taiyang gently patted the top of Ruby's head. "Look, I'll explain everything later. I'm gonna go get myself patched up. You two should probably go back to the others to make sure everything's going smoothly."

"But, you were unconscious, what if-"

"Relax, I'll be fine. Now get going."

Ruby pouted, but let go of her father. "… Okay. I love you, Dad."

The man smiled. "Love you too, sweetheart."

The pair of sisters made their way out of the school, waving to their father as they did so. Taiyang watched them for a few seconds, then turned around and started to walk down a hallway. _"Alright, now if I remember right, the medical wing was just down this hallway and to the left, then I think I need to ta-"_ His thoughts were cut short as he bumped into someone. "Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't… Glynda?"

The blonde woman pushed her glasses up the bridge of her nose. "Ah, Taiyang. Why are you in the school?"

"I did something outside that left me pretty banged up. I was on my way to the medical wing."

"I see. Well, everything should be up and running over there. After you've finished being looked after, please go to Professor Ozpin's office. He wishes to speak with you and the others."

"Really? Is it about anything specific?"

"That is for you and the headmaster to discuss."

"Right. Thanks for telling me."

Glynda nodded, then walked past Taiyang and turned down another hallway. Taiyang started to make his way towards his destination and chuckled to himself. _"She's still the same as always. I swear, you can almost physically see that she has no sense of humor."_

* * *

"How did you manage to turn into all of the Atlas soldiers?"

"Pfft, you don't know? You should do your research."

Qrow groaned. "You know, you're not the easiest species to study. You all disappear when you die, and you're kind is especially hard to track down to begin with. So, I hope you'ee forgive me for not knowing more about you and your 'friends'."

"We infected them."

"What?"

The Grimm smirked. "The answer to your question- We infected the soldiers. Once we do that, we turn them into us."

"What do you mean _infect_?"

"We attack them, bite them, scratch them, whatever we can do to open a wound. After we do that, we finish the job. Once that happens, they take a little… 'nap'. When they wake up, they're Grimm."

Qrow took a long swig from his flask and wiped his mouth. _"I'm too sober for this."_ So how did you manage to get here?"

"Easy. We snuck onto the ship dressed as your little soldier friends. They were so forgettable that nobody noticed." The Mistrae chuckled. "I guess they didn't have any friends in the military or someone might have noticed."

"You think this is funny?"

"Hilarious." The creature's gaze then narrowed. "Do you want to know something even funnier?"

Qrow raised an eyebrow curiously. "What's that?"

"That kid, the one with the long, blonde hair… she's been hurt by one of us before. I can smell the scent of our kind on her."

The hunter's eyes shot open. _"So, when Yang dies, she'll..."_ He shook his head and took another drink from his flask. "So, you're saying she's going to turn into a Grimm, like you? Is that what happens to people attacked by you?"

"Only if we cause her death… since whoever attacked her was a dumbass and didn't finish her off, she's still human. But..."

"But what?"

A sinister grin spread across the Grimm's face. "Just because she's still breathing, doesn't mean she's safe. Aura poisoning is a real bitch."

"What? How do you know about that?"

"I'm old. _Very_ old. I know how our attacks work. I know what effects they have. Not to mention, her aura smells disgusting. I bet that faunus that was here could even smell it. I give blondie about a week."

"What?!"

Several cackles escaped the Grimm's mouth. "Looks like you're upset."

Qrow planted a boot firmly on the creature's neck and pushed it to the ground. "Next question. How did you turn into that woman?"

"Which one?"

"Short. White cloak. Reddish-brown hair. Her name was Summer Rose."

"Ah, that one. Simple, I had seen her before. Hell, I was the one that killed her."

" _I thought so..."_ Qrow's thoughts were interrupted by a gunshot.

Suddenly, there was a giant hole in the side of the Grimm's head, which was quickly healing thanks to the glyphs that Weiss had summoned. Then, there was another shot, and another.

Ruby and Yang had made their way back outside, and the former was standing about twenty feet from the Grimm, and had the tip of her scythe planted in the ground. She was crying, and she screamed between every shot of her gun.

"Ruby."

"It was that THING. THAT GRIMM KILLED MY MOM!"

"Ruby, calm down."

The young girl said nothing, she just continued to fire at the creature, until Qrow stood between the two of them. "Ruby, stop."

"GET OUT OF MY WAY!"

"Killing it won't solve anything. Just calm down."

"B-But… it… it killed..."

Qrow slowly walked towards his niece and placed a hand on her shoulder. "I know, but we still need to talk to it. We have questions we need to ask." He looked behind Ruby and saw Yang standing completely still, while her eyes burned bright red. "Yang, will you take Ruby back inside the school?"

The blonde said nothing. She simply stood still and clenched her fists.

"Yang!"

The young girl shook her head as her eyes slowly turned from red to lilac. "Huh? Sorry, I just..."

"You don't have to explain. Will you take Ruby back into the school?"

"I don't..."

"Yang, please."

The blonde took a deep breath and closed her eyes. "… No. Ruby and I have a right to stay out here. I won't take her inside, and I won't be forced to go back in either."

"Girls, yo-"

"Uncle Qrow, we're not going back inside. We are staying right here with you."

The huntsman sighed and hung his head. "Alright, if you insist. Just… stay back there."

"Fine."

Qrow turned his back to his nieces and turned his attention towards the Mistrae. "Now that we've got that settled, we can back to our little chat. Are there any more of you in the school?"

The Grimm shook its head.

"Are there any of you left in or around that old village?"

"No. If there were, we wouldn't have made a last ditch effort to increase our numbers by turning into those soldier guys."

"So, what you're saying is, that you're the last one?" Qrow pulled his sword out and stabbed it into the ground next to the Mistrae's head. "Which means that when we kill you, your species will be gone."

"Please, are you that stupid? Do you honestly think we would be the only ones? That, in all of Remnant, there would only be a small group of us out there in one little spot?"

"There's more of you, then."

The creature smirked. "More than you know."

"You don't say. In that case..." Qrow spun around. "Weiss, let it go. You need to rest anyway."

"A-are you sure?"

"Positive."

"Alright."

As Weiss began to dismiss her glyphs, Qrow turned back to face the Grimm. "Well, it's about that time. I wish I could say that this was going to hurt a lot more, because you sure as hell deserve it."

Weiss' glyphs disappeared and a vicious roar rang through the area. After a few seconds, the Grimm was nothing but a small puff of black smoke.

Suddenly, Qrow heard footsteps quickly approaching behind him. As he spun around he was greeted by Ruby, who threw her arms around his waist and buried her face in his chest. "U-Uncle Qrow… M-Mom… that thing... I-it..."

The hunter placed a hand on the top of Ruby's head and gently stroked her hair. "I know, kiddo. I know." He pulled away from Ruby and spun her around to face Yang. "Now, you two get back up to your dorm room."

"But we ju-"

"Relax. I'm not forcing you to go anywhere, but things are finished out here. You girls need to get some rest, you've been through a lot today. I'm gonna go hunt down Ozpin. I need to talk to him."

Ruby nodded. "Okay, but if something comes up, come tell us."

Qrow smiled and saluted his niece. "Yes, ma'am. Now get goin'."

"Right." Ruby took Yang's hand and began to pull her towards the school. "Come on, Yang. Let's go."

"Hey! You don't have to drag me along! I can walk, you know."

Ruby let go of her sister's hand. "Sorry. I'm just ready to take a break from… from all _this_."

"Mind if I join you?"

Ruby and Yang turned to see who was talking. "Oh, Blake, duh. You are our teammate after all. Wait a minute… where's Weiss?"

Blake pointed to the entrance of the school. "After she got rid of her glyphs, she started walking inside. She said she was heading up to the dorm because she didn't feel well."

"What? Guys, I'll meet you at the dorm." Ruby sprinted into the school in search of Weiss. _"If she was feeling sick, why didn't she tell me?"_

Yang and Blake stood outside while a flurry of rose petals danced between them. Yang stretched her arms above her head and yawned. "I guess she was worried about her."

"It would appear that way."

"Well, I guess we should head back to the dorm."

Blake looked at the weapon she was currently holding and sighed. "You do that. I need to return this and inform everyone else of what happened."

"You sure?"

"Yes, I'm sure. I still need to find my weapon, anyway. For some reason, that Grimm didn't have it, which means it's in the school somewhere."

"Well, in that case, I guess I'll go with you."

"What?"

"You heard me. Things have calmed down. Plus, I think it would be nice of us to let those two lovebirds in our team have a little alone time. This day's been pretty hectic. And it's not like I have anything better to do. You don't mind me taggin' along, do you?"

Blake shook her head. "O-Of course not."

Yang grinned. "Then it's settled! Let's head off to find the other students!" The blonde then intertwined her arm with Blake's and began to walk into the school.

* * *

Ruby shoved the dorm room door opened and noticed Weiss laying down in her bed. "Weiss!"

"Ruby?"

"Weiss, are you okay?"

"Yes, I'm quite alright. Why did you think I wasn't?"

"Blake said you came up here because you felt sick."

Weiss sighed. "I… may have mentioned I wasn't feeling very well, but it passed relatively quickly. I feel fine now, for the most part, so there's no need to worry."

A wave of relief washed over Ruby. "That's good." She made her way over to her shared bed with Weiss and sat on the edge of it. "So, what now? We beat those Grimm, and as far as I know, there isn't anymore in the school. Is there anything left to do?"

"Well, I would actually like to talk to Professor Ozpin about this whole thing, but that can wait. Right now, I think the best thing for us to do is rest."

"That's the best thing I've heard all day." Ruby laid down on the bed and rolled on her side to face Weiss. "Can you scoot over?"

The heiress smirked. "Yes, would you like me to?"

Ruby rolled her eyes. "Haha, very funny, now scoot."

Weiss slid back until she felt the wall of the dorm on her back. "I can't go any further."

"That's fine, you won't be like that for long."

"What do you me-"

Weiss was cut off as Ruby quickly slid beneath the covers of the bed and pulled Weiss close to her as she wrapped her arms around the older girl's shoulders. "How's that? Is it comfortable, or do you need me to move so you can lay down like you were before?"

A smile crept onto Weiss' face. "This is fine, Ruby."

"Good. I like it this way." Ruby took a deep breath and yawned loudly. "Man, I didn't know I was this tired. I feel like taking a nap."

"I'm not entirely opposed to that idea myself."

"So, nap time? At least, for a little bit?"

The heiress nodded. "I suppose."

"Yay!" Ruby placed a kiss on Weiss' forehead and embraced her tighter for a moment. "I love you, Weiss."

"I love you, too, Ruby."

* * *

 **Another one down.**

 **So, how was everyone's Christmas/New Year? I hope everything went well and you all had a good time!**

 **Apart from everything that went wrong in the world, this was a pretty solid year for me. I finally mustered the courage to start writing fanfiction and it was one of the best decisions of my life. There are a few people I've met this way that I wouldn't have even known existed without doing this, and they've turned into very good friends of mine.**

 **I would also like to say thanks to everyone who is reading this. Whenever I start feeling down about my story for any reason, I always read the reviews you guys have left, and it fills me with incredible determination and drive (plus, they make me smile). I've always wanted to write and I thought that maybe a few people would like it. I never imagined my story would grow to the point that it's at now, especially for being my first story.**

 **So, once again, thank you. All of you. You're all amazing. Here's looking to a new year!**

 **Hope everyone liked this chapter, and I'll see you guys next time. Oh, and Happy New Year!**

 **:D**


	40. Heads Up!

**Hey, everybody. I'm sorry this isn't a real chapter.**

 **I need to tell you all something. I've notified a few people of this and I was going to respond to everyone that reviewed, but then I realized that there are plenty of you that don't review but still read the story, so I decided to write a little something that everyone could see instead.**

 **I'm moving. It's already becoming an annoying part of my life at the moment. On top of that, when I get moved into my new place, I won't have any internet for a while, so I won't be able to post. I'll still be able to write, but won't be able to post anything that I do manage to write.**

 **I've noticed that when I go a few weeks without posting, sometimes people assume that I've abandoned the story (or I've died), but that will not be the case. Not now, not ever. Writing is one of the things I enjoy the most in life, so I would never leave a story unfinished.**

 **So, it might be a few weeks until I post again. I'm sorry for making you guys wait, but if everything works out, I should be able to post more than one chapter when I get the chance. I hope y'all understand.**

 **I'll probably delete this thing when I post the next chapter, but I just wanted to let you guys know what was going on, so none of you wondered about the status of the story.**

 **See you all in the next chapter, and sorry again for the wait.**

 **:D**


	41. Out of the Frying Pan

"Hello, students. I'm sure you have several questions about the events that transpired earlier today, so allow me to address some that I'm certain you have."

Ozpin had called the entire student body into the main hall once Glynda had cleared most of the debris out of the room. Several students had conversations going amongst themselves until the headmaster had started talking. They then turned their attention to Ozpin.

"Firstly, there was an attack on the school. I assume some of you may already know this or have thought of this as a possibility, as opposed to a freak accident. As far as we can tell, the assailants have been eliminated. However, we can't be too careful, so I will ask for you help in making sure the threat has been eliminated, but I will touch more on that in a bit."

Ozpin lifted his coffee cup to his mouth and took a small drink. "Now, I'm sure you're also wondering what happened to your teachers. After making sure all of you students were safe, they roamed the school in search of any other… threats. As I'm sure you've noticed, several of them are absent from this meeting, but fret not. They are merely guarding all entrances and exits to and from the school to ensure your safety."

The headmaster looked towards a group of men in front of the crowd and motioned for them to come up on stage. "Now, if you'll excuse me for a moment, there are a few men who would like to have a word with all of you. Taiyang, Qrow, James, Bartholomew, please come forward."

The four men took the stage and stood behind the microphone in a line. Ironwood was the first to speak. "Hello. My name is James Ironwood. Some of you may know who I am, some may not. I am the general of the Atlas Military and headmaster of Atlas Academy. I am here because I was asked to assist with a mission involving all of these men on stage. While I could describe the mission myself, I believe there is someone who could do a much better job of it than I." He turned behind him and gestured toward the microphone. "Oobleck?"

The green-haired man nodded and stepped forward. "Greetings, students. I believe you are entitled to an in-depth explanation. As many of you are aware, Miss Rose was gone for a year and was only back for a few weeks before embarking on another mission with the rest of her team. The missions she was on is the reason we are here today."

Oobleck took a deep breath and continued. "During her first mission, they discovered a species of Grimm thought to be long dead. They are known as the Mistrae. Our knowledge of the creatures has been expanded upon, if only a little. We know that they are highly intelligent and capable of… well, shapeshifting, to put it bluntly. Somehow, the managed to turn into an Atlas soldier while the four of us were out on an excursion. We simply didn't take the necessary safety precautions and put all of you students at risk."

At this point, Qrow placed his hand on Oobleck's shoulder and stepped towards the mic. "But, what he didn't tell you is that they shapeshift by making eye contact with someone. Once they do that, not only can they turn into that person, but they can change into anyone that person thinks about." Qrow then took a drink from his flask and wiped his mouth with his sleeve. "I'm Qrow, by the way. Not like it matters."

The hunter's attention was then drawn to a student in the crowd who slowly raised their hand up.

"What, kid?"

"Um.. sir, Mr. Qrow?"

The hunter rolled his eyes. "Just Qrow."

"A-Alright. Qrow… do you mean that there could be some of those things here right now?"

"Well, that depends on something. We killed all of the ones that were outside and we investigated the school to the best of our abilities, but there is only one way to know for sure."

Qrow glanced at Ozpin and asked for permission to continue with simply an expression. The hunter nodded, then directed his attention back to the crowd. "You gotta bleed. The Mistrae can't, even after they change. Which means if someone bleeds, then they're, y'know, real. If they don't, then you better watch out."

Ozpin cleared his throat and Qrow stepped to the side as the headmaster walked towards the microphone. "Which is why I have gathered you all here. I'm aware that this is asking a lot of you students, but please be understanding. This is the only option. I wouldn't ask this of you if it wasn't absolutely necessary. However, if we fail to stop these creatures here, the rest of Vale could be at risk, and as huntsman and huntresses it is your duty to protect the world from anything that threatens it."

"So, we're supposed to hurt ourselves?"

Qrow stepped back in front of the mic. "You're damn right. The fate of Vale depends on what we do, here and now. If you're okay with having something out there get fucked up and be held responsible, then go ahead, be an idiot."

Ozpin firmly grasped the microphone, pulled it away from the dark-haired huntsman and shot a quick glare his direction. "Thank you for that, Qrow." The headmaster then took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "To elaborate on the situation at hand, this species of Grimm- the Mistrae- they don't bleed. If someone is injured and bleeds, then they are obviously not a Grimm. We trust you will be able to perform this task yourself and hope you all understand. However, if you don't feel comfortable, someone will… do it for you."

Following Qrow and Ozpin's words, many hushed, panicked conversations quickly broke out among the students.

This time, it was Taiyang's turn to step up to the microphone. He tapped on it gently, which caused a shrill, high-pitched noise to echo around the entire room. He cleared his throat and leaned closer. "Hello. My name is Taiyang Xiao Long. Before any of you ask, yes, I am related to one of your classmates; two of them, actually. I am the father of Yang Xiao Long and Ruby Rose. I am here because I assisted in this mission. I know you are all frightened, but listen. You are training to become huntsman and huntresses. This job is not for the faint of heart. Now is a chance for you to take the first steps toward defending your kingdom. If you can't do this, then you aren't cut out to be in this line of work. So, now you have to ask yourself, 'Do I want everything I've been working for to go to waste?'."

Several of the students looked at each other. Some glanced at the floor, while others simply nodded and began to roll up their sleeves or a pants leg as a mild chatter began to spread through the crowd.

Ozpin then stepped forward and took the microphone back. "I understand that this is a lot to take in, but if you will form an orderly group, we will move forward with the… procedure."

* * *

Team RWBY was heading back to their dorm from the main hall, when they crossed paths with team JNPR. "Oh, hey guys."

"Hello, Ruby. Are you four alright? We were worried about you."

"Yeah. We'll be okay. It's just been a long day… um… actually, make that a long _week_. Thanks for being worried about us, Pyrrha."

Blake suddenly made her way to the front of the group. "Jaune?"

The blonde boy stared at the faunus curiously. "Um, yeah?"

"Here." She stretched out her hand, which currently held Crocea Mors. "Thanks for letting me borrow it. I appreciate it."

"You're welcome, but… don't you still need it?"

Blake shook her head. "No, I'll be fine for now. It seems like the threat has passed. I'll look for my own weapon tomorrow."

"Alright, if you're sure." Jaune took the weapon and placed it on his belt. "So, what are you guys going to do now?"

Weiss sighed. "It's getting late and we are worn out. I think the whole team is going to head off to bed."

Yang nodded in agreement. "Yeah, that's definitely the plan for this chick," the blonde said as she pointed at herself. "I'm exhausted."

Pyrrha chuckled softly. "Well, I hope you all rest well. We'll see you later."

The two teams waved to each other as they stepped into their dorm rooms. Before Team RWBY's door was even shut, Yang was in her bed. "Man, I'm going to sleep forever."

Blake rolled her eyes and walked towards the bathroom. "Unlike Yang, I'm going to change before I go to bed." The faunus grabbed a set of clothes and closed the bathroom door after stepping inside.

Once the bathroom door shut, Weiss turned to talk to Ruby, but found her in bed, as well. "Ruby Rose, what do you think you're doing?"

The younger girl shrugged. "Um… going to bed?"

The heiress shook her head. "No, you aren't. Not until you change."

Ruby groaned. "But Weeeeeiiiissss!"

"No 'buts'. You are changing before we go to bed, and that's that. I don't want your dirty clothes to get all over the sheets."

"Fine." Ruby stood up and grabbed a set of clothes and threw them on the bed. She then started to take her hood off.

"Wh-W-What are you doing, you dolt?"

"Changing, duh. You told me I had to change first, right?"

"But you can change in the bathroom when Blake is done in there. Why change out here in front of everyone?"

An extremely loud snore came from the bed above Ruby's head. "Well, Yang's asleep and Blake's in the bathroom still. I don't see why I can't change out here."

"Because I'm out here!"

"Well, we _are_ dating. Besides, it's not like I'm getting naked."

Weiss' face grew a deep shade of red and she spun around to face away from her girlfriend. "Just because we're a couple doesn't mean you should just strip down in front of me like this."

Right before Ruby started to take off another article of clothing, the bathroom door opened and Blake walked out. "Alright, the bathroom is open. Does anyone else need to change?"

Weiss nodded vigorously. "Yes! Ruby does!"

Ruby smirked. "Fine, I'll go change in the bathroom." The younger girl gathered her clothes up and walked to the bathroom. As she stepped inside, she smiled at Weiss just before she shut the door.

The heiress placed her head in her hands and shook her head slightly. _"That girl will be the death of me one day. I just know it."_

"Did I miss something while I was in the bathroom?"

Weiss turned around and looked at Blake, whose face was only half visible as the faunus was peering at her from behind a book. "No, nothing at all."

Blake raised an eyebrow, but turned her attention back to her novel. "Alright. Whatever you say."

The room filled with silence for a few moments, until a voice came from inside the bathroom. "Hey, Weiss, can you come here for a second? I need some help."

Weiss rolled her eyes, stood up, and walked to the bathroom door. "What do you need help with?"

"Just come in here. I'm kinda… stuck."

"I'm not sure if tha-"

"Relax, I'm decent."

The heiress sighed and opened the door, then stepped inside. As soon as she was inside, the only thing she saw was a flurry of rose petals as the bathroom door closed behind her and locked. She turned around only to see Ruby guarding the door in nothing but a towel. "Now you're trapped in here."

"Ruby, what are you doing."

The younger girl's face began to turn red and she looked to the floor. "I-I… want you to see me..."

Weiss' face quickly matched her girlfriend's. "Ruby, I think this is hardly the time for this."

"Don't freak out. I'm not naked under this thing. I just..." Ruby took a deep breath. "Weiss… you mean a lot to me. I love you more than anything. I want us to share everything with each other. Even if 'everything' includes… _this_."

"Ruby..."

"Just listen to me for a second. Believe me, I am just as embarrassed about this as you. I'm terrified of showing you this much of me. But at the same time, I want you to see it. I don't want to hide anything from you. I want to be as comfortable with you as I am with myself. I also want you to feel the same way about me."

Weiss felt awful. Ruby was trying to share something extremely intimate about herself, and all she wanted to do was run. She wanted to leave the bathroom, get in bed, and hide her face in a pillow. But she could never bring herself to do that to Ruby. The heiress took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "… Okay."

Ruby's head shot up and she locked eyes with Weiss. "Uh… What?"

"Okay. If this means that much to you, then it would be wrong of me to rob you of this."

"And you're sure you're comfortable with this?"

Weiss nodded. "I-I think so."

Ruby smiled and laughed nervously. "Alright then." She closed her eyes and let go of her towel. As soon as she heard it hit the floor her entire body went stiff as a board. She looked at Weiss, then to the floor as her face turned a dark crimson. "So… uh… th-this is me..."

The older girl stared at her partner and she brought a hand to cover her hand to cover her mouth, which was slightly open. All thoughts of embarrassment had left her mind entirely. Her eyes now scanned every inch of the girl in front of her.

While Ruby was still in her underwear, as opposed to being completely nude, it didn't leave much to the imagination. What surprised Weiss the most was how toned Ruby was. For some reason, she never expected the girl to have very much muscle definition, but Weiss found herself drawn to a set of abs that she couldn't tear her eyes away from.

"Uh… Weiss?"

The heiress shook her head and looked innocently into Ruby's eyes. "Y-Yes?"

Ruby closed her eyes, then pulled the towel back up and wrapped it around herself. "You were staring… I'm sorry. This was a stupid idea. Just-"

She was cut short as she felt a pair of lips against hers. She opened her eyes only to see two icy-blue ones staring back at her. "Ruby, don't worry about anything."

"B-But you were staring. I'm sorry if I'm not, y'know, _pretty._ I never really try to be like that, but-"

"Don't talk like that." Weiss hooked her fingers around Ruby's towel and pulled it to the ground. "You are the most beautiful person I have ever seen." Weiss smiled and placed a hand on Ruby's cheek. "I don't ever want to hear you say you aren't pretty."

"Weiss..."

"Ruby Rose, you are gorgeous."

"… R-Really?"

"Of course. I wouldn't lie about something like this."

Ruby grinned and wrapped her arms around Weiss. "Thank you. I was so worried. I love you, Weiss."

"I love you too, Ruby."

Ruby leaned forward and gave Weiss a quick peck on the lips, then wrapped her towel back around herself and smirked. "Alright, your turn."

The heiress' eyes went wide. "Um… What?"

* * *

Blake woke to the sound of someone rummaging around in the bathroom. She groggily sat up in her bed and stared at the bathroom door. She glanced at her scroll on the table next to her and looked at the time. _"Who would be awake at this time?"_ She rubbed her eyes and listened more intently to the sounds coming from the bathroom.

Her ears twitched as the sound grew clearer. While the sound was somewhat muffled at first, she quickly realized what it was after focusing on it slightly. There was someone in the bathroom, and they were puking violently.

The faunus looked across the dorm room to the other two beds in the area. Weiss and Ruby were cuddled up next to each other. Ruby had a smile one her face… and all of the blankets. Weiss was nuzzled into her back with her knees folded up to her stomach. Then Blake looked up.

The top bunk was empty. Blake stood up, walked to the bathroom door and gently knocked on it. "Yang, is that you?"

"Blake? Y-Yeah, it's me. I'm just-" The sound that followed yang's words was… less than pleasant. "Sorry, I'll be in her a while. You might have to go to another bathroom."

Blake sighed. "Yang, can I come in?"

There was about half a minute of silence before Yang replied. "… I don't know if that's a very good idea."

"Look, I know you're still sick. We're all worried about you. Just… Just let me come in there. I would imagine you could use someone to keep you company."

Blake heard Yang sigh and knew that she'd won. "Fine, just close the door behind you."

Blake opened the bathroom door, stepped inside and quickly shut it behind her. What she saw in front of her was not something that she had expected.

Yang was a mess. Her short hair was disheveled, sticking up in every direction. Her clothes appeared to be soaked, her eyes had streams of tears coming out of them, and the inside of the toilet, which the blonde was currently hugging, was covered in a dark, purple liquid.

The faunus gasped in shock. "Yang..."

The blonde cleared her throat and smiled half-heartedly. "Yeah… ain't I pretty?" She coughed a few times and wiped her mouth with her arm. "At least I don't have to worry about my hair getting in the way now."

"What is happening to you?"

Yang hung her head. "I don't know. The only think I can think of is that it has something to do with-" the blonde's cheeks puffed out and she quickly aimed her head at the toilet bowl. A large amount of the dark liquid spewed out of her mouth and into the toilet. She wiped her mouth with her arm and looked back at Blake. "-Aura Poisoning. That's what I think."

"Have you talked to Professor Goodwitch about this?"

"Not yet. This is the first time something like this has happened. I'm going to talk to her tomorrow."

Blake walked over to Yang and knelt down beside her. "I'm not sure if this is something that can wait."

"I know how bad this looks, but it's actually not as bad now as it was when it started."

"How long ago was that? How long have you been in here?"

Yang shrugged. "I'm not exactly sure… Two, maybe three hours?"

The faunus grew more concerned. "Three hours? You should have woken one of us up."

"Well, I would rather no one see me like this." Yang coughed slightly and spit a glob of the liquid into the toilet.

Blake reached over and began to rub her partner's back, only to discover that Yang's shirt was wet. "Why is your shirt wet? It looks like all of your clothes are soaked."

"I can explain." Yang stretched her shoulders and sat up straight. "When I woke up earlier, I was super dizzy and felt like puking. I thought that a shower might help me feel better, but by the time I made myself come in here I could barely walk. So, I decided to just turn the shower on and get in. As you can see, it didn't help that much."

"Come on." Blake slipped one arm around Yang's shoulder and the other under her arm. "I'm taking you to the medical wing until Goodwitch wakes up."

"I think that's uncalled for. I can stay here for a while. I'm actually starting to feel better, anyway." Yang, with Blake's help, stood up straight, took two steps toward the door, and immediately turned around and threw up in the toilet. "… Right. Medical wing. Let's go."

The pair stepped out of the bathroom and made their way over to Blake's bed. The faunus helped Yang down onto the mattress and sighed. "You're going to need a change of clothes."

The blonde looked down at her soaked clothes and nodded. "Yeah, that's probably a good idea. Buuuut… all of my clothes are dirty."

"Excuse me?"

"Yeah… I kinda haven't had the energy to do my laundry lately. I kept telling myself I would do it when I started to feel better, but… well, you know."

Blake rolled her eyes and made her way to a dresser. She opened a drawer and pulled out a black t-shirt and a pair of black pants. She threw them to the blonde and turned her back to her. "Get changed. I won't look."

Yang laughed. "You sure you don't want to, kitty cat?"

The faunus' ears laid down and she was grateful she was facing away from Yang, so she didn't see the blush covering her face. "D-Don't be ridiculous."

"Relax, Blake. I'm just teasing you." Yang's voice became muffled as she pulled the t-shirt over her head. "Thanks."

"For what?"

"For the clothes."

"Don't mention it."

Yang's stretched her muscles and stood up. "Alright, you can look now."

Blake turned around and was caught off guard by how her clothes fit her blonde partner. _"W-Wow..."_

"Blake, you okay?"

"Yes, I'm fine. I just…" The faunus shook her head. "Don't worry about it." An awkward silence began to fill the room, so Blake attempted to break it by changing the subject. "Those clothes look pretty good on you."

"Is that so?" The blonde grinned and posed with one hand on her hip and one behind her head. "Am I sexy?"

"... Let's just get going."

Yang laughed and gestured towards the door. "Alright, after you."

* * *

 **Hey, guys. I'm baaaAAAAaaack...**

 **I'm moved into my new place, internet is working and I'm ready to start updating this thing again! I hope everyone is still around here. I know I haven't posted in over a month, so I hope some of you will still be reading this.**

 **Anyway, updates might be somewhat... sporadic for a while. I'm still trying to get a few things sorted out, like a new job and things like that. I'm not sure how much time will pass between chapters, but I'll try to stick to at least one every two weeks like before. I hope y'all understand.**

 **Also, did you guys see the finale for Volume Four?! That Knuckelavee(?) Grimm was the stuff of nightmares! And the credits song was amazing! I can't wait to get the soundtrack.**

 **Oh, one more thing. Two days ago was the One-Year Anniversary of this story. I can't thank all of you enough for showing your support in reviews, PMs, or simply just reading it. I don't know most of you, but you're fucking awesome! Thank you, all of you!**

 **Okay I've rambled enough. I'll see you all in the next chapter!**

 **:D**


	42. And Into the Fire

Weiss furrowed her brow in her sleep as a ray of sunlight came through the dorm's window and hit her directly in the face. She groaned and rolled over, burying her face in something soft in the process. After a few seconds, she moved her face back and forth and sniffed. _"Ruby's hair..."_ Her mind wandered back to what she assumed was a dream. Weiss blushed slightly at the thought of Ruby in nothing but her underwear, but quickly dismissed the thought. The heiress then smiled and began to wrap her hands around her partner, only to stop when she unexpectedly touched bare skin.

" _Maybe her shirt just rode up while she slept..."_ Her eyes fluttered open and she gently moved her hand towards Ruby's waist. Once she reached her waist, her hand trailed down until it was just below her hip. She expected to feel the soft cotton of Ruby's pajamas, but she didn't. She only felt more skin. _"So_ … _that wasn't a dream, then..."_ Weiss slowly raised the blanket that was covering and peeked under it. As soon as she saw the sight in front of her, she let the blanket fall. Her face turned bright red and she rolled over to face away from Ruby.

As Weiss rolled over, Ruby shook slightly. Weiss looked over her shoulder and stared at her partner. _"Is she… crying?"_

Ruby shook her head and started to curl into a ball. "… M-Mom… I'm… sorry..."

Weiss rolled back over and placed her hand on Ruby's shoulder. "Ruby, wake up."

The younger girl's eyes fluttered open and she sat up quickly and gasped. "Mom!" She looked around the dorm room in a panic until her eyes met Weiss'. "… W-Weiss?"

"Ruby, is something wrong?"

Ruby wiped her eyes and shook her head. "No, just a bad dream. I'll be alright."

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"No. At least, not right now." Ruby yawned and stretched her arm, but as she did so, the blanket she was covered with slid down and she felt an unexpected breeze. "It sure is cold today, huh, Weiss?" She looked to her partner, who was now blushing furiously.

"U-Um… yes, it sure is."

"Weiss, are you okay?"

"Yes, I'm fine… but..."

Ruby raised an eyebrow curiously. "What's wrong?"

Weiss turned away from Ruby and pointed behind her towards Ruby's torso. "M-Maybe you should look at what you're wearing."

"What do you mean?" Ruby looked down at herself and gasped. "Eep!" She quickly pulled the covers back up and shrunk into the bed. "Wh-what… I mean… I don't..."

Weiss sighed. "Don't act surprised. This was your doing."

" _That's right. Last night I…"_ Ruby slowly looked back at her partner. "Weiss."

"Y-Yes, Ruby?"

"I-I'm… in my underwear."

"Yes."

"You saw me in my underwear."

"Yes."

"Are you..."

"Yes."

Silence grew between the pair, but Ruby quickly broke it. "What… What do we do now?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, we need to get dressed, right? We've seen each other like this once already, so there's not really any point to staying in bed like this."

Weiss took a deep breath. "I suppose you're right."

"Hey, I have an idea."

Weiss rolled over and faced her partner. "And what is that?"

Ruby leaned over and whispered into the heiress' ear. Upon hearing her suggestion, Weiss' eyes went wide and she blushed even harder. "R-Ruby..."

"Well, do you have any other ideas?"

"… I guess not."

Ruby nodded. "So, on three then?"

"… On three."

"Okay then. One, two, three!"

Ruby and Weiss gripped the blanket and raised it above their heads, revealing themselves to each other in the process. After a few seconds, they lowered the blanket and simply stared at the bed above them.

"So, we just..."

"Yep."

"You… You're very pretty."

A nervous smile spread across Ruby's face. "Thanks… You're pretty, too. Probably the prettiest person on Remnant."

"D-Don't be ridiculous."

Ruby turned and stared at Weiss. "I mean it, Weiss. You're gorgeous."

"Th-Thank you, Ruby."

"You're welcome."

An uncomfortable silence once again filled the room, the only sound being the pair's nervous breathing. After a few moments, Ruby turned to Weiss. "So, who's getting out of bed first?"

* * *

"How long has this been going on?"

"Only since last night. I woke up feeling sick, then ended up puking for a couple of hours."

Glynda Goodwitch nodded in understanding. "I see." She turned her attention to a chair to her left. "And Miss Belladonna, you brought her here last night, correct?"

"Yes, professor."

"Well, based on this information, Yang, you owe your teammate a debt of gratitude. Without any medical attention, your situation could have been very serious."

Yang smiled and looked at her partner. "I know."

Blake smiled in return, but looked at the floor. "Don't mention it."

Glynda pushed her glasses up the bridge of her nose and cleared her throat. "Well, as everything seems to be under control, I will take my leave for the time being. Miss Xiao Long, you are now exempt from all classes until you make a full recovery. And Miss Belladonna, I extend the same offer to you, at least for today. Seeing as how you've been awake since last night, I'm sure you could both use some rest."

"Thank you, professor."

"You're welcome. Blake, will you be returning to your dorm, or will you remain here with your teammate?"

The faunus looked to her partner, who clasped her hands together and made a begging gesture. Blake sighed and chuckled internally. "I think I'll stay here for a while."

"Very well. I will inform the medical staff. Try to get some rest, you two." Glynda pushed her glasses up again, the turned and walked out of the room.

Once Goodwitch was gone, Yang turned to Blake. "Thanks for staying with me."

"Well, if I went back to the dorm, I would just worry about you the whole time."

Yang grinned. "Aw, really? You're so sweeeet."

Blake rolled her eyes. "Anyway, you should really get some rest. I imagine you're even more tired than me."

The blonde yawned in reply. "Yeah, I am pretty beat. I guess I'm gonna get some sleep."

Blake repositioned herself in the chair she was currently sitting in. "Okay. Get some rest."

"Aren't you going to go back to the dorm to sleep?"

The faunus shook her head. "Like I said, I would worry about you. I'll text Ruby or Weiss in a little bit and see if they would be willing to take turns sitting here."

"Are you sure? That chair probably isn't very comfortable."

"I'll be fine. You just worry about getting rest. I'll be here when you wake up."

"Okay, if you're sure." Yang let out another yawn and stretched, then rolled onto her back and slid down the bed slightly until her head was on the edge of her pillow. "Goodnight. I mean, good morning. I mean… Whatever, you get the idea."

Blake smiled. "Goodnight, Yang."

Before long, Yang was asleep. The doctors had given her a private room at the request of Goodwitch, so aside from the blonde's occasional ragged breathing, the room was silent. Blake stared at the sleeping form of her partner every time her breath hitched.

Some time passed and Blake found it harder to open her eyes every time she blinked. _"I guess I'm pretty tired too."_ The faunus yawned and nuzzled into her chair. She closed her eyes and hung her head, but just before she fell asleep, she pulled out her scroll. _"I should probably text the other two and let them know what's going on._ "

She typed out a quick message, sent it, and placed her scroll on a nearby table and returned to her previous position. She then closed her eyes and fell asleep within minutes.

* * *

"Ruby, how many times do I have to tell you, you have to get some real food too, not just an entire tray of sweets."

"Ugh, fine."

Ruby and Weiss were in the middle of getting breakfast in the school's cafeteria. However, they were having a small argument about Ruby's choice of food; an argument that Weiss quickly won.

"I don't mind you getting sweets every now and then, but please refrain from trying to pass a pile of cookies off as breakfast."

Ruby placed several cookies back on the plate she had grabbed them from, then grabbed a few strips of bacon and some eggs. "Is that better?"

The heiress nodded. "Yes, that is much better. Thank you."

The pair grabbed their trays and began to walk towards a table. As they reached one and began to sit down, Ruby yawned. "Man, I'm still pretty sleepy."

"I'm not sure why, we slept in pretty late today. We're lucky we don't have any classes until this afternoon."

The younger girl shrugged. "I don't know either. I guess I just didn't sleep very good last night."

"Well."

Ruby tilted her head in confusion. "Well, what?"

"You didn't sleep _well_ , not _good_."

Ruby rolled her eyes at the correction. "Whatever." She picked up a fork and scooped up a large amount of eggs with it and placed it in her mouth, which caused one of her cheeks to bulge outward. "So, wer do you fink Yung and Bak are?"

Weiss closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose. "Please finish chewing before you try to talk."

Ruby quickly chewed her food and swallowed. "Sorry." She took a drink out of a glass of chocolate milk that was by her tray and wiped her mouth. "So, where do you think Blake and Yang are? They were gone when we got up this morning and we haven't seen them all day."

"I have no idea. Maybe we should go lo-" The sound of Ruby's scroll ringing cut Weiss off.

The younger girl pulled her scroll out of her pocket and looked at it. "Oh, hey, it's a message from Blake."

The statement caught Weiss' attention. "Really? Does it say where she and Yang have been all morning?"

"She says that they're in the medical wing. Yang got sick last night and they've been there ever since."

"Oh, do you want to go see her?"

Ruby shook her head. "No. I mean, yes, but not right now. Blake says that she's sleeping and she's not really in bad shape. If Yang's sick, I want her to get some rest. I'll go by and see her later. I want to talk to her about some stuff, anyway."

"Like what?"

Ruby gently poked her eggs with her fork. "Just some stuff… about my mom."

"Oh, I see… You can talk to me about it, if you want. You know that I'll always be here for you, right?"

"I know. This is just… It's something I want to know. That Grimm… it looked like my mom. I want to talk to Yang about that and ask her a few things. I don't want you to think I'm keeping things from you, I'm not. It's just that I would rather not talk about it until I have to and I want Yang to be around for it, you know what I mean?"

Weiss nodded. "I think I understand, but if you change your mind, I'll be here."

Ruby smiled and took another bite of her food. "Thanks, Weiss."

The heiress smiled and took a bite of her own food. "You're welcome. I love you."

Ruby blushed. "I-I love you, too."

Weiss stared at her partner curiously. "Is something wrong?"

The younger girl shook her head. "No, it's just that normally I'm the one who says that first. It's kinda weird to hear you say it before I do."

Weiss pondered the statement for a moment. "Hmm, I guess you're right." She smiled. "I guess I'll just have to say it more often then, so you can get used to it."

Ruby smiled in return. "That's definitely something I could get used to." She scooped the rest of her food on her fork and shoved it in her mouth, then stood up while chewing it. After she swallowed the food, she picked up her tray, then pointed to Weiss'. "Do you want me to take your tray back?"

"Sure." The heiress grabbed her tray and slid it over to her partner. "Thank you."

"You're welcome."

As Ruby walked away, Weiss placed her chin in one of her hands and watched her. She was innocently staring at her figure, then her gaze started to trail down from Ruby's shoulders to her lower back, then to her waist, then… _"Get a hold of yourself, Weiss. This is not the time for… thoughts like that."_

Before Weiss realized it, Ruby was standing right next to her. "Hey, you okay? You look kinda spacey."

"Yes, of course. Are you ready to go to class?"

"Yeah, I guess. Our first class is with Professor Oobleck, right?"

Weiss nodded. "Yes, then we have one with Professor Goodwitch, and after that we have two different classes."

"Right." Ruby stretched her arms above her head and groaned. "So, do you want to come with me to see Yang after our classes?"

"I would like to, yes. I want to know why they didn't bother to wake us up last night. While her condition doesn't sound very serious, I think it still would have warranted waking at least _one_ of us up."

Ruby shrugged. "Maybe it's a good thing that they didn't. I mean, we weren't exactly… decent last night."

A slight tint of red spread across the older girl's face. "G-Good point. Regardless, I would like to see how Yang is doing."

"Okay. Then I'll meet you in the dorm after our classes are done. Deal?"

The heiress smiled, then leaned over and planted a kiss on Ruby's cheek. "Deal. Now, let's go to class."

* * *

The sound of her scroll ringing caused Blake to wake up. The faunus' eyes opened slowly as she craned her neck in the chair she had fallen asleep in. She let out a small yawn and her ears twitched slightly beneath her bow. The first thing she noticed was the sleeping form of Yang. _"She's still asleep. That figures."_

As she sat up straight, she raised her arms and stretched them in front of her, which caused her back to pop in several places. She attempted to do the same to her neck by tilting her head to the side, but to no avail. She then brought her hand up to rub her neck. _"I guess sleeping in that chair was a bad idea."_ The light of her scroll caught her attention, and she grabbed it off of a nearby table and looked at it. _"Oh, a message from Ruby."_

RUBY: Hey, me and Weiss are gonna come by after our classes are over. Let Yang know when she wakes up.

" _Well, she sent this a while back, but I guess I'll reply anyway."_

BLAKE: Alright, though she'll most likely still be asleep when you get here. She had a rough night.

The faunus stood up and placed her scroll in her pocket. Then turned to Yang. "If you're awake, I'll be back in a few minutes. I'm going to go get a book."

Yang mumbled something, but Blake brushed it off as unintelligible sleep chatter and started to make her way towards Team RWBY's dorm.

As she walked out of Yang's room, she heard someone call her name, then turned around and was greeted by a tall, dark-haired man. "Hey, Blake."

"Oh, hello, Qrow."

Qrow pointed his chin towards the entrance to Yang's room. "So, how is she?"

"She's sleeping right now. Other than that she seems fine. But Professor Goodwitch says it could have been more serious if we didn't come here last night."

The hunter nodded and took a drink from his flask. "Yeah, I got the gist of the situation from her a little while ago when I bumped into her while she was fixing up the main hall. I just wanted to know if anything had changed. Do Ruby and Weiss know?"

The faunus nodded. "Yes, I sent Ruby a message earlier. She replied a few minutes ago. Her and Weiss are going to come by after class."

"Got it." Qrow stared into the room, then turned back to Blake. "So, where are you headed?"

"Back to our dorm. I'm going to grab a book to read then come back here."

"Alright. In that case, I think I'm gonna keep an eye on her while you're gone."

"Okay." Blake turned to walk towards the dorm room, but stopped when she felt a hand on her shoulder. She turned around to see Qrow staring at Yang through a window in the door to her room. "Um… is something wrong?"

"Thanks."

"For what?"

"For looking after her. You know, I haven't been the best uncle. I'm gone all the time and I barely see her or Ruby. Then, the one time I'm able to spend a good amount of time with Ruby, I put her in extreme danger, then I go and do the same thing to Yang, not to mention to you and Weiss, too." Qrow let his hand fall from Blake's shoulder and grabbed his flask.

"It's not your fault. We all chose to go on that mission."

"Well, I'm still glad that my nieces have people to take care of them when their dad and me can't be around. Ruby has Weiss, and it looks like Yang has you."

"That's a bit of an odd comparison, considering the fact that Ruby and Weiss are dating, while Yang and I aren't."

Qrow smirked. "Is it really, though?"

"W-What do you mean by that?"

The hunter chuckled. "Oh, nothing. You go and get your book. I'll be here until you get back." He walked into the medical wing and waved a hand behind him. "Thanks again."

"You're welcome." Blake turned and started to walk towards the dorms, her mind filled with thoughts of her partner. _"I hope she'll be okay. I'm sure someone would let me know if something went wrong while I was gone."_

A few minutes passed and Blake eventually reached the dorms. She opened the door and immediately made her way towards the bookcase by her bed. As she knelt down, she started to drag her index finger along the bottoms of the books until she reached one that sounded interesting.

" _Let's see here, what do I want to read… Ah, that sounds good."_ Blake pulled a book off the shelf and gently blew on it, which caused a small layer of dust to come off the cover. _"The Bumblebee Chronicles. I haven't read this in a long time."_

Blake stood up and flipped through the pages of the book quickly, then closed it and tucked it under her arm. _"Okay, time to head back."_

* * *

"Ruby, are you ready yet?"

"Almost, I just need a few seconds."

"Well, hurry up. I don't want to wait out here all day."

"Relax, Weiss." A few sounds came from behind the closed bathroom door in Team RWBY's dorm, then the door opened and Ruby stepped out. "Okay, let's go."

The pair walked out of the room, shut the door, and started to make their way towards the hospital wing. As they walked, Ruby intertwined her fingers with Weiss'. The heiress didn't mind it, but did question it. "What is this for?"

"I don't know. I just felt like holding hands. Is there something wrong with that?"

"No, but most of the time when you do that, something is wrong." Weiss stopped in her tracks and looked at Ruby. "So, what's wrong?"

The younger girl sighed. "I'm just worried about Yang."

"Blake made it sound like it wasn't very serious."

"I know, but I can't help but worry about her, especially after everything that's happened with her lately."

Weiss tightened her grip on Ruby's hand. "Well, we're on our way to see her now, and you'll know exactly what kind of shape she's in."

"I guess you're right."

The older girl smirked. "Of course I am. Now, let's go."

"Yeah."

Weiss and Ruby made their way to the medical wing and Ruby's nervousness seemed to subside more each time they turned a corner and grew closer to their destination. After a few minutes passed, the entrance to the medical wing came into view.

"Looks like we're here."

As they stepped into the main room, someone caught their attention.

"Hey, you two."

Ruby smiled. "Oh, hey, Blake. Where is Yang?"

"She's still sleeping. I just came down here to get to the vending machines."

"So, what room is Yang in?"

Blake turned and started walking away from the pair. "Just follow me. I'll show you."

The trio made their way through the medical wing until they reached Yang's room. The blonde was still asleep. Her mouth was open and she had a small trail of drool coming out of her mouth and forming a small puddle on her pillow.

Ruby smiled. "At least she looks like she's having a good nap."

Blake nodded. "I would say so. She's been asleep for hours now. I'll let you be the one to wake her up."

"Alright then." Ruby walked over to her sister and gently nudged her shoulder. "Yang, wake up."

The blonde rolled over and smacked her lips a few times, but didn't open her eyes.

"Yang, seriously? I've been worried about you. Wake up."

This time, she didn't even move.

Blake walked over to the sleeping blonde. "Is something wrong?"

"She won't wake up." Ruby became more forceful and shoved Yang's entire body. "Yang, wake up!"

Still no response.

Weiss made her way over to the blonde, leaned over, and whispered something in her ear. When the blonde showed no reaction, the heiress turned to Blake. "Blake, go get someone from the medical staff, and hurry."

The faunus nodded, then hurried out of the room. Weiss turned to Ruby. "Ruby, are you okay?"

"Wh-What if she's just faking it?"

The heiress shook her head. "I assure you that she isn't. She would have had me in a choke hold if she was awake."

"Why? What did you tell her?"

"T-That's not important."

Ruby looked at her sister with tears in her eyes. "Yang… please be okay."

* * *

 **Boom! Chapter out after only a week! I mean, that statement won't be true in 20 minutes, but it's true now, dammit!**

 **Man, I can't remember the last time I had a chapter out this early. Thanks to everyone who has been sticking with me through my hectic upload schedule these past couple months. It means a lot.**

 **Anyway, I hope everyone's having a good day, and all that jazz... I, uh, I don't know what else to say...**

 **Well, damn. I'm drawing a blank. Anyway, I hope everyone likes this chapter, and I'll see y'all in the next one!**

 **:D**


	43. Slip of the Tongue

"Do you know what's wrong with her?"

"Not yet, we're running a few tests. Honestly, I've never seen something like this before. At first, we thought she was in a coma, but she isn't. She's just… sleeping." The doctor that was informing Ruby, Weiss and Blake about Yang's current condition looked at the clipboard in her hands, then to Yang. "Her vital signs are perfectly fine, her brain is functioning at normal capacity; nothing is _wrong_ with her. She just can't wake up."

Ruby walked over to her sister, grabbed her hand in her own, and squeezed it firmly, then turned to the doctor. "Isn't there something we can do?"

"We are exploring all possible options right now. Once we come to a conclusion as to what the next step should be, you will be the first to know." The doctor looked at Blake and Ruby, who were staring intensely at Yang's sleeping form. "I understand that this is a trying time for you girls, and I mean no disrespect, but if you'll excuse me, I have other patients."

Weiss was the only one that acknowledged the woman's words. "Thank you, doctor." The doctor smiled, then turned and left the room, as Weiss walked towards her partner. "Ruby, do you want to go back to the dorm?"

The younger girl shook her head. "Not right now. I think I'm going to stay here with Yang for a little while. If you want to head back to the dorm, I'll meet you there later. I just don't want to leave Yang right now."

"Alright, I understand." The heiress then turned to her other teammate. "Blake, do you want to come back to the dorm, or are you staying here as well?"

"I think I'll join you in heading back." The faunus stared at Yang one last time before starting to walk out of the hospital room and placing a hand on Ruby's shoulder as she walked by. "Let us know if anything changes, okay?"

"Okay, I will."

Weiss walked up until she was standing behind Ruby and wrapped her arms around the younger girl's waist. "I'll be back in a little while, okay?" She then gently kissed the back of Ruby's head. "I love you."

"I love you, too."

Blake and Weiss then exited Yang's hospital room and started to walk towards Team RWBY's dorm room. As they walked, Blake became distant and quiet, more so than usual. It was something that Weiss picked up on fairly quickly. "Blake, is something wrong?"

The faunus, who was previously looking at the floor, faced Weiss. "Huh? Oh, not really. I'm just worried about Yang."

"Ah, I see. I'm worried about her, too. I hope she manages to pull through this."

"Y-Yeah..."

Weiss noticed the hesitation in Blake's voice. "Is there something that you're not telling me?"

Blake took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "It's just… This is partly my fault."

"How so?"

"Well, I should have been there to save her during the mission. I shouldn't have let her go off by herself. Now, she's been in pain since we've been back, all because of one Grimm; A Grimm that looked like _me_."

Weiss stopped herself and placed a hand on Blake's shoulder. "You can't blame yourself for that. It's not your fault that she got hurt. Even if you could have been there, you don't know if you could have stopped it."

"You don't know that."

The heiress sighed. "Look at it this way. What if you had been the one that the Grimm targeted instead? When it tried to get the jump on you, it turned into Yang. You were vulnerable because you assumed that you were talking to your partner. While you're distracted, it attacks you and severely injures you. Would you blame Yang for that?"

"Of course not, bu-"

"Then don't blame yourself for what happened."

"You don't understand, it's not the same."

"Of course I do. You want to blame yourself so that there's an explanation to what happened, but there isn't. Sometimes, bad things just happen.'"

"That's not what I mean. I wouldn't blame Yang because she wouldn't have felt the same if I was the one in danger."

Weiss shook her head. "That's ridiculous. Do you think Yang blames you for this whole situation?"

"Well, no, but-"

"No, 'buts'! I don't want to hear you take responsibility for what happened, because you don't need to."

Blake groaned. "That's not it. What if she _does_ blame me? If she does, then I would hate myself!"

"Calm down. She doesn't hate you. Why are you blowing this out of proportion so much? Even if she did blame you, it's not like she wouldn't forgive you. Yang's not that kind of person. Why are you so worried about what she thinks of you right now?"

The faunus threw her arms down to her sides and her ears laid flat on top of her head. "Because I like her!"

Weiss' mouth fell open and she slowly brought her hand up to cover it.

Blake, realizing what she had just said, mirrored her teammate's actions. "U-Um…"

Saying that an uncomfortable silence grew between the pair would be the understatement of the century. The awkwardness between the two huntresses was nearly tangible. Weiss opened her mouth several times as if she were going to say something, but simply closed it after a few seconds. The heiress then stared at her feet as she slowly shook her head. "I have no words."

"Weiss… I don't... I mean..."

Weiss looked up and smiled at her teammate. "Calm down, your secret is safe with me."

"… Really?"

"Of course. We're friends, so I wouldn't share something private without your consent." Weiss then crossed her arms and stared in the direction of the hospital wing. "You know, this does explain a few things."

"Like what, exactly?"

"Well, like the fact that for the past few weeks you have been avoiding making eye contact with Yang. Don't think I haven't noticed, Ruby has, too. Or how you seem to dodge all forms of conversation about certain… romantic topics when Yang is around. I was beginning to wonder if something was up with you."

Blake sheepishly looked at the ground and grabbed her arm nervously. "Well, now you know."

"That I do." Weiss turned to Blake, then gestured towards the hospital wing with her chin. "Do you want to go back and watch over her? I can go to the dorms by myself."

The faunus shook her head. "No, I need to go get a few things. And it would be nice to just… clear my head for a while."

"Well, in that case, let's go. I would like to get back to Ruby as soon as possible."

"Yeah, let's go."

* * *

Yang's hospital room was relatively quiet. Every now and then, there were a few beeps from various machines in the room, but other than that, the only sound was Yang and Ruby's breathing. The latter of the two girls had pulled a chair up to Yang's bed and sat down in it, then had fallen asleep with her head on the edge of the bed. However, she was quickly jolted awake by the sound of someone knocking on the door.

Ruby groggily sat up and rubbed her eyes. "Come in."

The same doctor from earlier stepped through the doorway, clipboard in hand, and had an expression on her face that was impossible for Ruby to read. "Hello, Miss Rose. I have some news regarding your sister."

The statement caught the scythe wielder's attention and she straightened up more and cleared her throat. "Oh, what is it?"

"Well," the woman said as she walked closer to Yang's bed, "There is a treatment we have discussed. It is somewhat… experimental, but we do believe it is the best choice at present."

Ruby nodded. "Okay. What's the treatment?"

"We would be injecting dust directly into your sister's veins. Normally, something like this would be out of the question. However, Miss Goodwitch has assured us that due to Yang's aura poisoning, the procedure would be relatively harmless and would not have any lasting side effects."

Ruby breathed a sigh of relief and smiled. "Thank goodness."

"However," The doctor began, "We still need to come up with a cure for her aura poisoning. This is simply to treat her unconsciousness. But we are working on a cure for that, as well."

The smile on Ruby's face faded slightly, but right now she was just happy that Yang would wake up. "How long is it going to take to wake her up?"

The doctor glanced at her keyboard, then back to Ruby. "We are in the process of getting things together. The good thing about this treatment is that we can do it right here in this room. Your sister should be awake in approximately thirty minutes, should the procedure work."

"That's good news. When are you going to start it?"

"Well, we ca-"

"Right now." The door to the room opened and Goodwitch stepped through with several nurses. "Please move away from the bed, Miss Rose. The doctors need room."

"O-Okay..."

The nurses stepped further into the room and Ruby noticed that one of them was carrying a small briefcase. They set it down on a nearby table, opened it, and began to pull out several small vials of glowing, blue liquid."

Ruby pointed towards the vials. "What is that stuff?"

"It's a special form of dust that has been liquefied."

"Is that part of the treatment?"

"Indeed it is." One of the doctors picked up a vial and examined it closely. "We hook these to a special IV and administer it at an accelerated rate. Honestly, this is a little risky, but your sister's aura poisoning will keep her from suffering any damage during the procedure. On top of that, there shouldn't be any lasting side effects."

Glynda placed a hand on Ruby's shoulder, catching the young girl's attention. "Are you alright, Ruby?"

"Y-Yes, professor. I'm just worried about her."

"Rightly so. When someone you care about is in a condition such as the one Yang is in right now, it's only natural to worry about them."

Ruby watched as the doctors hooked the vials into several long hoses with needles at the end, then stuck them into Yang's arms and legs. The sight of Yang being poked and prodded wasn't something that was easy for Ruby to watch. "Um… I think I'm gonna step outside."

Glynda nodded. "I understand. I will come tell you when everything is finished."

"Thank you." Ruby quickly walked out of the room and shut the door behind her, then leaned against the wall and took three very slow, deep breaths. _"This is crazy..."_ She then pulled out her scroll and slid down the wall until she was sitting on the floor. And before she knew it, she was asleep.

* * *

"So, when did you realize how you felt about her?"

"Honestly, I'm not really sure."

Weiss and Blake were making their way through Beacon and quickly approaching the dorms. The conversation they were currently having had Blake dumbfounded. She still couldn't believe that she had told Weiss how she felt about Yang.

"Now the question is… are you going to tell her how you feel?"

Blake shrugged and shook her head. "I don't know. Do you think I should?"

"I won't tell you that you should or shouldn't. But I will tell you what you said to me when I told you that I had feelings for Ruby." Weiss raised a finger and held her nose in the air. "If you don't tell her at some point, you might regret it."

" _Using my own words against me._ " The faunus sighed. "Alright, that's fair."

"Oh, how about this. Instead of telling Yang right away, you could tell Ruby and get her opinion on it before you tell Yang. Would that give you some confidence?"

"Maybe. That's not a bad idea."

The pair finally reached the dorm and Weiss reached out to open the door. She turned to Blake as she stepped into the room. "So, what did you need from the dorm, anyway?"

"Oh, nothing too important. Just a few books and something to drink that doesn't come from a vending machine. I mostly just needed to, well, talk. I wanted your thoughts on this whole situation, I guess."

"I see. And are you happy with learning my perspective?"

"Well, you didn't say anything I can really argue with." Blake walked over to her bed and pulled a few books out from under it, then stood up and turned to Weiss. "Alright, I'm going to go to the cafeteria to get something to drink."

"Very well. If you don't mind waiting for a few minutes while I take a shower, I'll join you on the way there."

"That's fine." Blake sat down on her bed and opened one of her books. "Just let me know when you're ready."

Weiss nodded, grabbed a set of clothes, then made her way into the dorm's bathroom. She turned on the shower to let the water heat up, then started to undress. As the last scrap of clothing slid off her, she stepped into the shower. _"Well, that was quite the confession from Blake. I can't help but wonder how Yang would react to the news."_

As the warm water cascaded down Weiss' back, she massaged her muscles. They were still recovering from the battle with the Mistrae. And, though she wouldn't admit it, there was something else that was bothering her. She had exhausted her aura during the fight. She had done it before, but only once and there was a significant recovery time afterward; not to mention the doctor visits. _"I should probably talk to one of the doctors about this once everything with Yang gets settled."_

After a few more minutes in the shower, Weiss stepped out and got dressed into the new set of clothes she had grabbed earlier. Once she was dressed, she walked into the dorm room and looked at Blake. "Alright, I'm ready. Thanks for waiting."

"You're welcome." Blake closed the book she was reading and stood up. "Let's go."

* * *

The next thing Ruby knew, she was being shaken awake by someone. "Miss Rose? Ruby, wake up."

Ruby blinked her eyes several times and yawned. "Professor Goodwitch?"

"The procedure was a success. Yang is awake."

The young girl's eyes went wide. "Really?"

"Yes. The doctors have just finished bringing all of their things out of the room. You're free to go see her whenever you like." Glynda stood up and began to walk away from Ruby. "Just, make sure she doesn't go to sleep and _stay_ asleep _."_

"I will. Thank you, professor." Ruby then walked into the room and was greeted with Yang staring at her, a huge grin plastered on her face. "Hey, sis. That was one hell of a nap."

Ruby smiled and ran to her sister and hugged her tightly. "I'm so glad you're awake. I was starting to think you would never wake up."

Yang hugged Ruby back and ruffled her hair. "You should know that nothin' can keep me down for that long."

"So, are you feeling okay?"

The blonde shrugged. "Yeah, I guess." Yang hunched forward a little as she coughed dryly. "I'm pretty thirsty. Do you think you could get me something that's?"

"Sure, you got it. I'll be right back." Ruby started to walk out of the room, but as she stepped out of it, she ran into Weiss and Blake on the other side. Weiss was staring at Blake with her arms crossed while Blake was staring at the ground. "Oh, I was wondering when you guys were going to be back." Ruby noticed Blake's shy expression fairly quickly. "Is something wrong?"

"No," Weiss answered. "Blake and I had a conversation on the way to the dorm, and another one on the way back. There is something she wants to tell you, but she is having second thoughts." Weiss uncrossed her arms and placed her hands on her hips. _"Though if she can't even tell Ruby, she definitely won't be able to tell Yang when she's ready."_

Ruby stared at Blake with an expectant expression. "Blake, what is it? Do you need to tell me something?"

The faunus took a deep breath and her ears laid flat on top of her head. "Y-Yes, I do."

"Well, are you going to tell me?"

"R-Ruby..." Blake looked to Weiss, who simply smiled and nodded once for encouragement. "It's about your sister."

"Oh, well, actually, she-"

Blake quickly cut her off. "Wait. If I don't say this now, I might not be able to bring myself to say it later."

"Um, okay? But, seriously, Yang is-"

"Ruby, just let me say this."

"Okay, if you insist."

"Ruby," Blake cautiously started. "I… I like your sister."

The younger girl raised an eyebrow questioningly. "That's it? That's all?" Ruby smiled and patted Blake on the shoulder. "She likes you too, Blake. We all do."

Weiss placed her head in her hands and sighed. "She doesn't mean that she likes her that way..."

"What do you mean?" Ruby looked at Weiss, then Blake. The way that her black-haired teammate was fidgeting under her gaze slowly made the gears in Ruby's mind start to turn. "Blake, do you..."

The faunus slowly nodded, then locked eyes with her leader. "Yes, Ruby, I like your sister. I have romantic feelings for her."

Ruby scratched the back of her head nervously. "U-Um… You really should've let me talk first..."

"Why's that?"

The younger girl opened the door to Yang's room, revealing the blond sitting up in her bed with a huge blush on her face, waving at the trio outside the door. "Um… Hey, kitty cat. I think we should talk."

* * *

 **... I'm embarrassed with the length of this chapter. However, I felt that this was the best place to end it. I stretched myself kinda thin between a few things lately, and I let myself get distracted. Sorry. I'll do my best to make the next chapter longer.**

 **In other news, time for another shameless plug.**

 **I've started another story. Blind. If y'all could check it out, that'd be awesome.**

 **Anyway, that's all from me. Sorry again for the short chapter and I'll see you guys in the next one.**

 **:D**


	44. Buzzed

The awkward silence that hung in the air was almost tangible. Ruby was trying to hold back a nervous laugh, Weiss had her hand over her mouth in shock, Blake was wide-eyed and had a face as red as a tomato, and Yang was sheepishly smiling and waving at the three girls standing outside her hospital room. After a few moments passed, Ruby grabbed Weiss' hand and began to swiftly walk away, leaving Blake alone to stare blankly at her blonde partner.

" _This. Is. Not. Good."_ The faunus blinked rapidly a few times, then noticed Ruby dragging Weiss away.

She attempted to follow them, only for Ruby to turn around and stop her. "No you don't. You get back in there and… and deal with this," the brunette whisper-yelled. "You can't just leave her in there like that. Me and Weiss will come back in a little bit. Get in there."

"Weiss and I."

Ruby sighed and hung her head, annoyed at the correction. "Weiss, now's not the time, let's go." The red and white pair then quickly made their way out of the medical wing and began to walk towards the dorm.

Meanwhile, Blake was left standing alone in the hallway, glancing at the door to Yang's room, and the exit, not sure which one she should take. Slowly, she started to inch towards the exit, before shaking her head and internally scolding herself. _"You can't just leave her. It isn't right. Not after what she just heard."_ She took a deep breath and turned around, then walked forward until she was right beside Yang's room. Lightly, she rapped her knuckles on the door frame and poked her head inside. "U-Um… Yang?"

"Hey," Yang replied, a bright shade of red covering her face. "Do you… I mean… Uh..." Words were failing her.

"D-Do you want me to come back later," Blake asked, her voice shaking with every word. _"Please say yes."_

Yang shook her head vigorously. "No! I mean… no, please stay."

" _Damn."_ The faunus then walked to a corner of the room and gingerly sat down in a small, wooden chair. The chair creaked under her weight, the relatively quiet noises amplified by the silence in the room. "So… you said that we should talk."

"Yeah, I did say that, didn't I..." Yang then took the blanket on her hospital bed between her fingers and slowly rubbed small circles in her hands with it. "Do you want to talk?"

Blake, surprised by the way the question turned the conversation to her, let her eyes fall to the floor. "W-Well… I would assume that you would want to talk about..." She couldn't bring herself to finish the sentence.

"What I just heard?"

"Yes, that," Blake quietly answered. "If that's alright."

"Of course! I mean," Yang's nervousness was getting worse, causing her to shout her words before quietly cursing herself. "Sorry, I didn't mean to yell." Silence grew between the pair, neither of them quite sure how to handle the situation. After taking a deep breath, Yang said, "So, uh, what you said in the hall… is it true? You don't have to answer if you do-"

"Yes."

Yang looked across the room to her partner. Her eyes hadn't left the floor and she was fidgeting with her hands in her lap. "That means..."

"I like you, yes. In a more-than-friendly manner." Blake's words came out clear, but fast, almost as if she was trying to get them out as quickly as possible, before she could change her mind. "What do you think about that?"

"Um… it's good?"

"You don't sound so sure." Blake then stood up abruptly and started to walk towards the door that led out of the room. "I'm sorry about this. I'll just leave you be."

Yang threw her legs over the side of her bed and reached out towards the faunus. "Wait, I like you, too!"

Blake's hand was on the doorknob, but retracted itself as she slowly turned around, face red. "What?"

"What?!"

"You said that you..."

"Did I?!"

"Yes, you did."

"Are you sure?!"

"S-Stop yelling!"

"Sorry!" Yang crossed her legs and patted the bed. "Blake… come sit down. Let's talk."

The faunus closed her eyes and sighed, however, not one out of annoyance, but nervousness. "Okay."

* * *

"So, how do you think it's going back there?"

"How do you expect me to know that, exactly?"

"I don't know, just thought I'd ask."

Ruby and Weiss were currently sitting in their dorm. They didn't have a specific plan in mind, but they wanted to give Blake and Yang some time alone to sort things out. The room grew fairly silent after a while, the only sounds being the light scratching of a pen on paper, and small clicks of the touch screen of Ruby's scroll.

The stillness of the room finally getting to her, Ruby – who was laying on the bed that she and Weiss shared – rolled onto her side and stared at her girlfriend, who was sitting at a small desk towards the front of the dorm. "It's so boring in here! Maybe we should go check on those two. What do you think?"

"I'm sure that they will come back to the dorm when they want to talk," Weiss replied without looking up from the desk. "I think it's best not to disturb them right now. Blake just made a shocking confession to Yang. Don't you think it would be wise to distance ourselves from them for the time being?"

"I guess so."

"Oh, speaking of Blake..." Weiss sat her pen down and twisted her torso around, so that her elbow was resting on the back of her chair and she could make eye contact with Ruby. "How do you feel about this whole situation?"

Happy that she was finally able to partake in a conversation instead of stare at her scroll, Ruby sat up in the bed and crossed her legs. "What do you mean?"

"Well, now you know the scope of Blake's feeling for your sister. It will most likely be a while before we can learn how Yang took the news, but what do _you_ think about it?"

Ruby shrugged and grinned. "I think it's awesome! Honestly, I think Yang might feel the same way."

"Really?"

"Yeah. I've seen the way she looks at Blake when she thinks that no one is watching. Sometimes, she looks at her like… well..."

Weiss raised an eyebrow curiously. "Like… What?"

"Well, like the way I look at you," the scythe-wielder said with a loving smile.

A light shade of red crept on to the heiress' face, which she quickly hid by spinning back around in her chair and directing her attention towards the small stack of papers in front of her. _"Dolt."_ She then picked her pen back up and proceeded to write a few notes. "So, what do you see the outcome of this being? Do you think she will reciprocate Blake's feelings for her?"

"Yeah, I think she will." Ruby hopped off the bed and walked over to Weiss, then peered over her shoulder at the various sheets of paper and books she had spread in front of her. "Are you studying?"

"Yes, I am. We had nothing better to do, so I decided to spend my time doing something productive. Is that a problem?"

"Of course not." Ruby then started to fidget next to Weiss, not sure how to spend her time. Her legs shifted beneath her as she swung her right leg back and forth bringing it in front of her left leg several times. After a few moments passed, an idea popped into her head. "Hey, Weiss?"

The heiress faced her girlfriend after scribbling down a few sentences on the pieces of paper in front of her. "Yes?"

"I know you're studying… and stuff, but would you want to go on a walk with me? It's a nice day outside, and I think it would be kinda cool. It would almost be like a date. We haven't really done anything together lately, so I thought it would be a good idea. What do you think?"

Weiss tapped the pen she was holding on the bottom of her chin as she thought about Ruby's question. They were still recovering from the damage the Mistrae had caused – both emotional and physical – and while Ruby was right in saying they hadn't spent much time together, it wasn't really anyone's fault. The only reason Weiss was studying instead of something else, is that it was something that required the least amount of energy, but seeing Ruby's puppy dog eyes was slowly starting to chip away at her resolve. She placed her pen on the table and laid an arm over the back of the chair she was sitting in. "Alright, say that we went on this walk. Where would we go?"

Ruby shrugged. "I don't know. Don't you think it would be nice to just… _walk_? We don't need to really go anywhere. I just want to spend time with you without having to talk to you while you're studying." The young girl stretched a hand out towards Weiss and smiled, then pointed towards the door with her chin. "Come on, let's get out of this stuffy dorm room."

The older of the two girls glanced at the stack of paper on her desk, then sighed and took Ruby's hand with her own and stood up, taking care to straighten her dress as she did so. "Okay. Lead the way, Ruby."

A smile quickly appeared on Ruby's face as she pulled Weiss close and ran out of the dorm. "You got it, princess. Follow me!" Ruby tore through the halls of Beacon, almost coming close to using her semblance a few times, much to Weiss' distress.

Once they reached the entrance to the school, Weiss ripped her hand from Ruby's grasp, placed her hands on her knees and took a few slow, deep breaths. "Did you have to go that fast? It felt like you were trying to pull my arm out of its socket!"

"Sorry. I didn't mean to." Ruby reached out and gently grabbed Weiss' arm, then caressed it lightly and looked at her girlfriend with big eyes and a pushed-out bottom lip. "It was an accident. Will you forgive me?"

Try as she might, the heiress couldn't be mad at Ruby whenever she used _that_ face. It was one of the few things in the world that made her completely forget about everything else in the world. Even though it was fake at the moment. A fake, sad Ruby was still a sad Ruby, and Weiss hated seeing that. "Alright, I guess you're forgiven this time."

The younger girl smiled and lifted Weiss' hand to her lips, then planted a light kiss on her knuckles. "Thank you, princess."

Weiss' face turned a light shade of crimson after Ruby's gesture. "Wh-What was that for?"

Ruby let Weiss' hand drop without losing her smile. "Well, you just made me happy, so I thought I would try something from all those romance movies. Did it bother you?"

"No, not at all. I just… didn't expect something like that."

"Oh, well I guess I'll warn you next time." Ruby turned her head to face the lush, green landscape that was Beacon's courtyard, then softly tugged at Weiss' sleeve. "Come on, we're burnin' daylight."

The pair walked out of the entrance to the main building of the school and turned left down a walkway that wound itself through several large trees and a small pond at the side of the school. However, once they had taken a few steps, they were stopped by a tall, blonde woman wearing glasses. "Ah, I didn't expect to see you girls here."

Ruby happily waved at the woman. "Oh, hey professor Goodwitch. What're you doing out here?"

Glynda pushed her glasses up the bridge of her nose before answering. "Actually, I was just on my way to the infirmary. There is a matter I would like to discuss with you and your team. If it's alright with you, I would like the two of you to accompany me to Yang's room."

Ruby and Weiss shared apologetic glances with each other before turning back to their teacher. "Sure. We didn't have much else going on, anyway."

"Excellent." The blonde walked around the couple and started to briskly walk away from them.

"So, can we at least ask what you want to talk to us about?"

"I don't see any harm in it." Goodwitch stopped in her tracks and spun around on her heel, then looked directly at Ruby. "It's about your sister's aura poisoning. We believe that we may have found a cure."

* * *

"Soooo… you like me, huh?"

"Yes."

Yang fidgeted nervously while sitting next to her cat-eared partner. "… Neat."

Blake crossed her arms as her ears laid down slightly underneath her bow. "Neat? You find out how I feel about you and all you can say is _neat_?"

"Sorry, I just can't think of anything to say." The two girls refused to make eye contact with each other. They had started conversing at a more reasonable pace, but their speech was stiff. "I mean, what do you want me to say to this?"

"Well," Blake began, "you could start by saying how you feel about me." The faunus placed her arms at her side and let her feet dangle off the side of the bed Yang and her were currently sharing. "It would be nice to know. You said something earlier, but I wouldn't mind a little clarification."

Yang's face was burning hot and she couldn't bring herself to make even the slightest movements as she remembered what she had blurted out previously. She could barely open her mouth to talk. "I… ike… yo..."

Blake's ears twitched beneath their bow. "C-Could you say that one more time?"

After a few moments passed and Yang took a few deep breaths, the blonde finally looked at her partner and locked eyes with her for the first time since they had started talking. "I… I like you, Blake. I care about you a lot. I have for a while."

Blake grinned internally. "… _Neat._ "

"Hey now, that's not funny," Yang griped. "I guess it's only fair, though."

"So, what are we supposed to do now?"

Yang shrugged at the question. "I have no idea. I mean, we both like each other, right? Maybe we could, y'know… be _together_."

"What do you mean? Aren't we together already?"

"I meant _date_ , Blake."

Of course, Blake knew perfectly well what Yang meant, but hearing her say that they should date put a large smile on her face. "Right, that. Would you want to? Date, that is."

Yang could only nod slowly, still in disbelief that she was actually having this conversation with Blake. "D-Do you want to date me?"

There was that word again. _Date_. Blake really liked hearing it come out of Yang's mouth. "Yes… I would like that very much."

Yang scooted over on the bed until she was sitting shoulder-to-shoulder with her partner. She slowly reached a hand over to the faunus' lap and pulled one of her hands between them, then grasped it gently. "So, we're dating, then."

"I guess we are," Blake said as she gripped Yang's hand in return. She could tell how hard Yang's heart was pounding. She could feel her pulse through her fingers. Blake turned towards her partner – no, her _girlfriend_ \- and asked, "Are you still nervous?"

Yang swallowed dryly. "Yeah. It's just… I can't believe this is happening." She turned to face Blake, her face still bright red. "What… What happens now?"

Slowly, Blake began to lean closer to Yang, who quickly mimicked the action. "Well, normally, when two people start a relationship, they kiss."

"Oh, yeah, that makes sense, I guess," Yang said as her face grew closer to Blake's. "Since we just started a relationship, does that mean we should kiss, or something?"

"I think it does," Blake breathed.

Their faces were now inches apart and they could feel each other's breath. However, just before their lips connected, the door to the room opened and Ruby, Weiss, and Goodwitch walked in. Seeing the two girls so close together, Glynda cleared her throat and pushed her glasses up the bridge of her nose. "I'm sorry, girls. Are we… interrupting something?"

Blake and Yang shot apart from each other and shook their heads. "No, nothing at all. We were just... talking."

"I see." Goodwitch stepped further into the room. "Miss Xiao long, I have some good news." The blonde woman sat down in the chair in the corner of the room and placed her clipboard in her lap. "We may have found a cure for your aura poisoning."

Yang's eyes widened at the news. "Whoa, really? That's great!"

"Yes, I agree. However, it is still somewhat… experimental. While this is potentially a cure, it is also an educated guess, for lack of a better term. There would be risks, but if it works, then you should be able to have a full recovery."

"Right. Sign me up, professor."

Glynda was taken aback by the quick decision. "Are you sure you wouldn't like to take some time to think over the situation? It is a-"

"Nope," Yang said while shaking her head. "If I don't get this thing taken care of, then there's nothing I can do about it. I would like to take the chance, if it's all the same to you."

Glynda stood up and nodded. "Very well. I will go inform the medical staff. Girls, if you'll excuse me." She stood up and walked over to the door, before stepping outside and quietly shutting it."

Once the sound of her teacher's footsteps began to fade away, Ruby turned around to face the pair on the bed. She grinned and raised her eyebrows. "So… give us the details."

"W-What do you mean, sis?"

"You know what I mean." Ruby walked over and sat next to Yang. "What happened when we left? Did the two of you talk about anything… interesting?"

Yang looked at Blake, hoping that she would help her answer the question, but the faunus just stared at her feet, her face red. Sighing, Yang said, "Yes, we did. We, um… Blake, you okay with this?"

Blake nodded, still staring at her feet.

"Well, we talked. It looks like we… we're dating now, I guess."

Ruby quickly hugged Yang tightly. "Yes! I'm so happy for you two!" She hugged Yang with strength that made the blonde think twice about all the bear hugs she had given over the years. "Thanks, Ruby, but I need to breathe," She said as she pried her sister's arms off her.

Satisfied, Ruby turned to Blake and stretched out her arms toward the faunus. "Alright, now it's your turn, Blake."

"I don't think that's necessary."

Ruby pouted. "Aw, but I wanted to hug you, too. I'm just really happy for you guys!"

"Well, thank you, but you nearly crushed Yang, somehow. I would like to avoid that."

"Fine." Ruby turned behind her and pointed at Blake. "Weiss, you hug her."

The heiress blinked several times in shock. "Excuse me?"

Ruby rolled her eyes. "Apparently she's scared I'm gonna crush her, or something, so it looks like it's gonna have to be you."

Weiss placed her hands on her hips. "That doesn't make any sense. Why does she need to get a hug anyway? It's not like something super important happened. Yang and her are just dating now, that's all."

Ruby gasped. "Of course it's important! Now, get over there and hug her."

The heiress threw her hands in the air and started to make her way over to Blake. "You know what, fine. I don't want to argue with you about this." Weiss walked over to Blake and held out her arms. "If we don't do this she won't let it go. We might as well get it over with, even though I don't see much of a point in it."

"… I guess you're right." Blake walked over and wrapped her arms around Weiss' shoulders. After the two had separated, they turned to Ruby. "Are you happy now?"

The cloaked girl nodded happily. "Yup!" She sat down on Yang's bed and dangled her legs off the side. "So, what now?"

Yang sighed and leaned backward onto the bed. "Now… we wait for Professor Goodwitch to get back. Then, we get my aura poisoning all healed up, and THEN..." Yang sat up and grinned at Blake and Weiss. "We have ourselves a double date."

* * *

 **Over a month. A freakin' month! I can't believe I've gone this long without an update. Sorry for making you guys wait so long. I will do my best to make sure it doesn't happen again. I think I just stretched myself too thin these past few weeks. I had a lot going on in my personal life and whenever I sat down to write, the words just didn't come to me. I actually had this chapter almost done at one point, but I felt that it wasn't good enough, so I scrapped the whole thing.**

 **Another reason for the super late upload is that I did exactly what I told myself I wouldn't do. If you read these Author's Notes, then you know that I started another story - Blind. I've had a blast writing it, and I let myself get sidetracked by that one instead of writing for Snowstorm. So, I'm sorry for that too. Y'all have been really patient and I appreciate the hell out of all of you. I'll be sure to get this story back onto a regular upload schedule within the next few weeks.**

 **Anyway, thanks for all of your support, and I'll see you guys in the next chapter.**

 **:D**


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